Research Priorities in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Funding Availability, Recently Published Work, and Future Directions for Advancing Our Science.

This article focuses on identifying psychiatric mental health (PMH) nursing research priorities from major U.S. public funding entities, comparing these priorities with PMH nursing publications from 2020, and outlining future directions to advance PMH nursing science. Thirteen funding agencies' strategic plans revealed priorities across education, research, and practice domains, including topics such as trauma-informed care, digital mental health technologies, social determinants of health, and substance use disorders. A review of 432 articles from eight PMH nursing journals found that only 23% were U.S.-based, predominantly descriptive studies, with fewer interventional studies despite funders' emphasis on intervention research. The findings highlight gaps between funding priorities and published research, suggesting the need for increased collaboration, strategic alignment with funding priorities, and expanded support for PMH nurse scientists to advance evidence-based practice and address workforce challenges.