Iranian Nurses’ Experiences of Aggression in Psychiatric Wards: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Aggression from psychiatric patients is a constant problem for care providers that causes major problems in the therapeutic environment, and may have negative effects on the quality of care. Since recognition of aggression with regard to cultural background leads to better control of aggression in the psychiatric wards, this study has been done to clarify Iranian nurses' experiences of aggression in psychiatric wards. A qualitative content analysis study was conducted to explore experiences of nurses. Data analysis revealed four themes: (1) Damage resulting from aggression, (2) Aggression catalysts, (3) Contagious nature of aggression, and (4) Various control strategies. There are various causes for in-patients' aggression, and nurses use various approaches to control it. These approaches are influenced by personnel, facilities, and ward environment. Identifying these factors and strategies can contribute to better management of aggression and, thus, better quality of care in psychiatric wards.

Antecedents and consequences of workplace violence against nurses: A qualitative study

“…Due to differences in definitions of workplace violence, comparison and interpretation of the available data are difficult (Hahn et al., ; Zampieron et al., ), although the majority of prior studies have performed comparisons of international data to consider such discrepancies. The unmet expectations of patients and relatives, whether logical or illogical, are the most significant sources of workplace violence, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies (Farrell & Shafiei, ; Moghadam et al., ; Pinar & Ucmak, ).…”

“…These reactions primarily involved vengeful behaviours such as reducing a patient's quality of care and retaliating against colleagues after violence or aggression: the most significant sources of workplace violence, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies (Farrell & Shafiei, 2012;Moghadam et al, 2013;Pinar & Ucmak, 2011).…”

“…A study conducted in Turkey revealed that factors such as nurses’ poor working conditions, lack of professional experience, younger age and working the night shift influenced the perpetration of violence by managers (Çevik Akyil, Tan, Saritaş, & Altuntaş, ). In Iran, global factors contributing to workplace aggression include patient mental disorders, unmet patient expectations (Moghadam, Pazargadi, & Khoshknab, ), lack of knowledge among patients and their relatives regarding healthcare workers’ responsibilities, and lack of security (Fallahi‐Khoshknab, Oskouie, Ghazanfari et al., ). However, the available information is insufficient to fully understand the various aspects of this phenomenon.…”

Human dignity and professional reputation under threat: Iranian Nurses' experiences of workplace violence

“…Nurses' expectation was that managers apply the rules equally among all nurses and fairly evaluate their performance. Fereidooni Moghadam et al (2013) sought to discover nurses' experience of violence in psychiatric wards. Data analysis revealed four themes: damage resulting from aggression, aggression catalysts, the contagious nature of aggression, and various control strategies.…”

Pathology of Social Violence Phenomenon in Ardabil Province: A Qualitative Study

“…The Lack of sufficient staff support and the poor management founded as influencing factors (Ramezani, Fasihi, & Mangali, 2012). Another qualitative research finding was about the contagious nature of violence and the need to its controlling by using diverse strategies (Moghadam, Pazargadi, & Khoshknab, 2013). …”