Activities on acute mental health inpatient wards: A narrative synthesis of the service users’ perspective

Abstract

Background: Concern about the lack of activities on mental health inpatient wards is long-standing with reports consistently finding that service users receive insufficient access to a range of activities and report high levels of boredom. There is recognition that little is known about what services users want when admitted to inpatient wards. Aim: This review seeks to understand service users' experiences and views in relation to the provision and availability of activities, and to explore the perceived benefits and barriers to service users. Methods: We searched multiple databases (Scopus, Medline, CINHAL, PsychINFO, and Embase) for studies that evaluated activities on acute adult inpatient mental health wards. We identified 12 papers across a range of methodological designs from which the narrative synthesis has been analysed. Results: Findings show that the provision of activities is unsatisfactory for many service users which in turn is relates to increased boredom that has a negative impact on service users' wellbeing. We explore the benefits and barriers to engagement, providing an insight into the aspects that make an activity important. Conclusion: There are few studies exploring the needs of service users regarding activity provision, therefore there is limited knowledge about what is meaningful for individuals.

How does the environment influence consumers' perceptions of safety in acute mental health units? A qualitative study

“…Activities that consumers find meaningful will vary, and further exploration is needed to evaluate various activities that could be made available (Foye et al., 2020). Having meaningful activities supports safety by promoting choice, autonomy and connection to self and others (Fletcher, Hamilton, Kinner, Sutherland, et al, 2019).…”

The Feasibility of Outdoor Psychology Sessions in an Adult Mental Health Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit: Service User and Psychologist Perspectives

“…Further, this mode of therapy increases the application of a holistic rehabilitation approach as outdoor working supports SUs with their emotional, physical and social wellbeing ( Harper and Dodub, 2020 ). Finally, SUs have reported finding the everyday life on inpatient wards under stimulating, resulting in increased rumination and decreased wellbeing ( Foye et al, 2020 ). Conversely, inpatient wards can at times be highly emotive environments which may increase SU stress.…”

Environmental changes to reduce self-harm on an adolescent inpatient psychiatric ward: an interrupted time series analysis

“…Since evenings are generally unstructured times of the day on psychiatric wards, some patients may find themselves feeling vulnerable and emotionally distressed during this time and using self-harm as a coping mechanism to regulate negative emotions such as feelings of pain and anger [3,4,33,34,48,66]. Meaningful activities in the evening have been suggested as a positive way to distract patients who have negative thoughts and feelings [33,47,48,67], and may help to replace the positive functions associated with self-harm with or without suicidal intent such as sensation-seeking and feelings of gratification [4]. Self-harm is also a private act in young people [36], and evening activities could delay patients from retreating early to their bedrooms, where they are likely to engage in self-harming behaviours alone or behaviours such as brooding which are indicative of suicidal behaviours [32,48].…”