Workroles of Staff Nurses in Psychiatric Settings

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to operationalize Peplau's workroles of the psychiatric staff nurse. Thirty registered nurses audiotaped one-to-one interactions with 62 adult, child, and adolescent psychiatric patients. Content analysis was used to identify role behaviors and to identify roles that were different from those outlined by Peplau. The counselor role was the most frequently occurring primary workrole. Overlap was found between behaviors indicative of autocratic leader versus surrogate and those of resource person versus teacher. The findings supported Peplau's contention that the counselor role is central to the practice of psychiatric nursing.

Nurse–client processes in mental health: recipients’ perspectives

“…In short, the centrality of the nurse–client relationship in mental health nursing continues to be supported (Williams & Tappen 1999, RNAO 2002). However, research related to nurses’ and clients’ roles (Morrison et al . 1996), the development of the nurse–client relationship from a client’s perspective (Forchuk et al .…”

“…These phases of development, and the clients’ descriptions of the behaviours and roles of nurses, are similar to and support those hypothesized by Peplau (1952, 1997), specifically, the roles of stranger, surrogate, technical expert, counsellor, resource person, teacher and democratic leader. Morrison et al . (1996) operationalized the roles identified by Peplau (1952) and identified an additional role: friend.…”

Factors influencing nurse–patient interaction in the acute psychiatric setting: An exploratory investigation

“…The measurement of nurse–patient interaction in psychiatric settings remains a challenging task (Richmond & Roberson, 1995). Problems arise with the classifying and recording of abstract qualities, such as empathy (Morrison, Shealy, Kowalski, LaMont, & Range, 1996).…”

A Modern History of Psychiatric–Mental Health Nursing

“…A study in the mid-90s found that the predominant role of psychiatric staff nurses was counseling patients (Morrison, Shealy, Kowalski, LaMont, & Range, 1996), a role Peplau supported in the 1950s. Simultaneously, there was a debate within nursing about the continued role of the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) vs. the nurse practitioner (NP) (Delaney, Chisholm, Clement, & Merwin, 1999).…”