Objective: To explore the correlation between nurses' attitude and practice toward physical restraint (PR) in psychiatric settings andidentify the factors that influence the use of PR. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. A self-designed questionnaire containing a PR scale was used to assess the attitude and practice of registered psychiatric nurses in Guangdong, China, from November 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Descriptive statistics, the Mann–Whitney U test, the Kruskal–Wallis test, and ordinal regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: The response rate was 74.6％. The nurses' responses showed neutral attitude and a moderate level of practice regarding the use of PR. Factors such as age, gender, marital status, professional position, nightshift, and the frequency of training programs on PR showed a significant association with nurses' attitude and practice concerning PR (P < 0.05). In addition to these factors, this study found that the practice of PR was associated with nurses' attitude toward it (P < 0.05). Our results showed that nurses with a largely negative attitude toward PR were more likely to use it (OR = 1.91, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Clinically, psychiatric nurses with negative attitude are more likely to practice PR. Training and education programs are highly recommended for nursing managers to change the nursing staff's attitude, since their attitude may have an impact on the PR what they practice.