International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health | July 2023 | Vol 10 | Issue 7 Page 2350 International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health Gaoses SL et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2023 Jul;10(7):2350-2355 http://www.ijcmph.com pISSN 2394-6032 | eISSN 2394-6040 Original Research Article Impact of clinical practicals on the mental health status of university nursing students Stephanie L. Gaoses 1 , Taimi Amakali-Nauiseb 2 *, Sesilia Ndafenongo 2 INTRODUCTION Mental health is equally as essential as any other aspect of health. It impairs the productivity and functionality of an individual thus it is vital and it is addressed as such. Students are faced with challenges from all angles of life and their academic life, such as time, finances, fitting in with peers and good academic performance. The aim of the study was to explore the impact of clinical practicals on the mental health status of 4 th year nursing degree students at the University of Namibia main campus. The objective of the study was to explore the impact of clinical practicals on the mental status and describe the general attitude of 4 th year nursing degree students at the University of Namibia main campus towards clinical practicals. The synchrony of the academic and social aspects in a healthy way so that there is a balance between them, enables students to thrive in both. Mental illnesses are thought to impair learning hence the academic and clinical performance of nursing students. 1 Clinical practice provides student nurses with necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes required for their future nursing functions. Good health is hence deemed vital in ABSTRACT Background: Mental health has been slightly neglected in all aspects of life. The aim of the study was to explore the impact of clinical practicals on the mental health status of 4 th year nursing degree students at the University of Namibia main campus. The objective of the study was to explore the impact of clinical practicals on the mental status and describe the general attitude of 4 th year nursing degree students at the University of Namibia main campus towards clinical practicals. Methods: A cross-sectional, explanatory research study with a qualitative approach was employed. The participants were among 104, fourth year 2021 nursing degree students at the University of Namibia main campus. Virtual interviews were conducted via Microsoft teams until saturation point was reached, the thematic/grounded theory was used to establish themes from the context. Results: Clinical practicals have an impact on the mental health status of fourth year nursing degree students at the University of Namibia main campus. The students experience slightly negative attitude towards clinical practicals due to immense requirements and limited time to complete them. Conclusions: The School of Nursing and Public Health at the University of Namibia have to provide professional services to cater for the mental health status of students such as a counsellor, social worker, psychologist, conducive environment or management skills to help students to cope. In addition, this is thought to also improve the attitude of students towards clinical practicals, in producing- effective and efficient students. Keywords: Clinical practicals, Impact, Mental health status, Nursing students 1 Alumni, 2 Department of Community and Mental Health Nursing Science, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia Received: 04 March 2023 Revised: 23 May 2023 Accepted: 24 May 2023 *Correspondence: Taimi Amakali-Nauiseb, E-mail: tnauiseb@unam.na Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20232021