Exploring the Consequences of Aggressive Experiences on Psychiatric Nurses: A Real-Time Assessment Study

Irene Weltens*, Marjan Drukker, Therese van Amelsvoort, Patrick Domen, Maarten Bak

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Aims: Aggression on psychiatric wards is a complex issue with significant consequences for both patients and healthcare providers. This study aimed to investigate the behavioural and emotional consequences of aggressive experiences on nurses working in psychiatric wards both at work and at home as well as the contribution of nurses' behaviour to the development of aggression.Methods: This research utilised the experience sampling method (ESM) to collect real-time data from nurses working in a high intensive care (HIC) unit within a mental health institution in the Netherlands.Results: The findings revealed that most nurses reported good sleep quality, feeling fit for the day and looking forward to starting their day. These reports were not significantly associated with having a workday ahead or the number of patients admitted. There was a negative association with the number of admitted patients being on or over the maximum bed capacity, although not significant.There were no statistically significant associations between the answers to the morning questionnaire and the behaviour and emotions of nurses and patients later that day nor the appearance of aggressive incidents. Experiencing an aggressive incident had no influence on the sleep of the nurse later that day, nor on their social behaviour.Conclusion: This study offers valuable insights into the daily experiences of nurses in psychiatric wards, particularly in relation to aggression. The real-time data collection by ESM allowed for a nuanced understanding of nurses' behaviours and emotions. No significant associations were found between nurses' functioning and aggressive incidents happening on the ward, but this study might have been contextually influenced so that this study mainly highlights the need for further research with larger samples and across multiple wards to draw definitive conclusions.
Original languageEnglish
Article number1952005
Number of pages10
JournalPerspectives in Psychiatric Care
Volume2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Oct 2024

Keywords

  • aggression
  • behavioural consequences
  • de-escalation techniques
  • emotional consequences
  • experience sampling method
  • mental health
  • nurses
  • psychiatric ward
  • real-time data
  • SAMPLING METHOD
  • HEALTH-CARE
  • STRESS
  • VIOLENCE
  • JOB

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