Assessment of knowledge, attitude, anxiety level and perceived mental healthcare needs toward mpox infection among nursing students: A multi-center cross-sectional study

Despite the crucial role of nursing students in managing public health crises, their understanding and attitudes towards monkeypox (mpox) remain underexplored. This study aims to assess nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, anxiety levels, and perceived need for mental healthcare support related to mpox across the UAE, Iraq, and Egypt. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1,386 nursing students from three universities using non-probability purposive sampling. Participants completed a structured questionnaire covering sociodemographic information, knowledge of mpox, attitudes towards the disease, levels of anxiety, and perceived mental healthcare needs. Knowledge was categorized into poor, fair, and good, attitudes into negative, neutral, and positive, and anxiety into low, moderate, and high levels. Data were analysed for correlations using Pearson's correlation coefficient and statistical…