Factors Influencing Clinicians’ Attitudes about Aggression in Australian Acute Old Age Psychiatry Inpatient Units: A Cross Sectional Survey Design

Abstract

Patient aggression occurs in old age psychiatry and is problematic. The aim of this study is to identify the factors that influence clinicians' attitudes toward aggression in old age psychiatry. Eighty-five individuals, comprising nurses (n = 75) and medical and allied health staff (n = 10), completed the questionnaire. The results show that gender, profession, and work experience do not affect attitudes toward aggression. A low score indicated agreement with an attitudinal statement. However, younger age, better higher level of completed education, and place of work increased the likelihood of participants endorsing the questionnaire's attitudinal statements about aggression. The findings suggest clinicians' attitudes may affect the way they attempt to prevent and manage aggression.

Patient safety in inpatient mental health settings: a systematic review

“…Twenty-seven studies explored violent and aggressive incident experiences in staff,81–96 patients,97–99 mixed groups100–106 and patient family members 27. Five studies explored the risk factors associated with verbal and physical aggression 35 37 107–109.…”

Carers of older adults' satisfaction with public mental health service clinicians: a qualitative study

“…This difference was also noted in a study of clinicians’ attitude towards patient aggression in three inpatient units for older adults with mental illness, where significant differences existed between the units in their attitudes about the use of restraint and seclusion (McCann et al . ). The unfavourable experiences in the present study may also be attributable to clinicians’ lack of awareness of, or insensitivity to, the effects of caring on carers (Rapaport et al .…”

Aggressions suffered and determinants of physical and non-physical violence towards nursing staff by patients and accompanying persons

“…Las características organizacionales (microsistemas y mesosistemas) influyen en la forma en que los profesionales responden al comportamiento agresivo, de lo cual es de esperar que los protocolos institucionales determinen sistemáticamente la actitud de la persona agredida para reducir las consecuencias indeseables. (18) Autores como Walker y col. (19) se refieren a las consecuencias como eventos o incidentes que siguen a la ocurrencia de la violencia laboral y la sistematizan en consecuencias psicológicas, emocionales, físicas, organizativas o profesionales.…”