Nurses are the most important contributor of care during patients’ hospitalization and have become an important source in the delivery of mental health care. However, the attitudes and ability of many nurses in providing this care have been shown to be deprived, and this may have a negative effect on providing patients’ care. There is a little is known about the attitude of nurses toward people with mental illness in Saudi Arabia.

This study has a qualitative research design. The main aim of this study is to explore the attitude of nurses toward people with mental illness in Saudi Arabia.

Data were collected through semi-structured fact to face interviews with nurses. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis.

Data analysis identified three main themes that affect nurses’ attitude toward people with mental illness. The identified themes are: 1) personal factors, 2) social factors, and 3) factors related to the view of mental illness.

This study concluded that there are a number of factors that affect nurses’ attitude toward people with mental illness. Several recommendations were discussed related to nurses’ education, continuous mental health training courses, public education about mental health and mental health nursing, and mental health care and resources.

The author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.