Aim: this study aimed to assess self-awareness among nursing students dealing with
psychiatric patients. Design: a descriptive exploratory design was utilized in this study.
Setting: This study was conducted at Abbassia psychiatric hospital which contains two
secondary nursing schools, one for males and another for female (both of them affiliated to
Abbassia psychiatric hospital). Sampling: A convenience sample of 100 students. Tools:
Interview questionnaire sheet used to assess student's socio-demographic characteristics,
Cooper- smith self-awareness scale used to assess self-awareness level and Rosenberg self-
esteem scale to assess nursing student's self-esteem level. Results: It illustrated that more
than half of the study sample had a low level of self-awareness. Close to half of the students
had low and medium level of self-esteem respectively; there was highly significant
correlation between students' self- awareness and their self-esteem. Conclusion: according
to this study the majority of students had low self-awareness and more than two thirds of
students had low and medium self-esteem respectively. Recommendations: There must be
training courses for nursing students who deal with psychiatric patients to develop their self-
awareness and how to use self as a therapeutic method in their relationship with patients.