Background: University students' needs for mental health (MH) services are an important aspect of academic success or failure. Nursing students enrolled at Saudi Arabian universities in need of MH care encounter obstacles in accessing this type of care.
Aims: The present work explores students' views and suggestions about the existing problems surrounding university students' MH and well-being support services.
Methods: Twenty students enrolled in a Master of Nursing program were recruited as research participants. Individual interviews of students' perceptions of the needs and availability of MH services during their studies provided inductive data. These data were analysed through a constructivist thematic method.
Findings: Three major themes and sub-themes regarding the issues and possibilities of MH services were distinguished from the research data, namely, social implications, access and opportunity, and ways to improve care. Participants emphasised a need for a university-wide approach to reforming MH services to provide students with the required support and alleviate service demand by qualified professionals.
Conclusion: The present work underscores the need for provision of good quality MH care for university students and health promotion which strives to reduce stigma related to MH care.
Keywords: care; mental health; stigma; students; university.