Professionals' attitudes toward reducing restraint: the case of seclusion in the Netherlands.
BACKGROUND
Despite public opinion and policy interventions, restraint remains a common practice. This is also the case in the Netherlands, where projects aimed to reduce seclusion, have not led to a decreased use of restraint. Is this lack of effectiveness related to attitudes of the professionals? The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes of professionals working in mental health care toward restraint.


METHODS
A questionnaire with eight scales was constructed for measuring attitudes of professionals. Scores of 540 professionals were studied, using analysis of variance and cluster analysis and related to several personnel and organizational characteristics.


RESULTS
The more professionals were personally involved in seclusion, the more they believed in it. Three types of professionals were identified: Transformers, Doubters and Maintainers. More than half of the psychiatrists (56%) belonged to the type of maintainers. Nurses were more divided.


CONCLUSIONS
Professionals working in clinical settings are not really opposed to restraint. This could explain the limited effects of innovation projects.
van Doeselaar
Marjan
M
Gelderse Roos Research Institute for Professionalization, Wolfheze, The Netherlands. m.van.doeselaar@degelderseroos.nl
Sleegers
Peter
P
Hutschemaekers
Giel
G
D000288:Administrative Personnel / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D011050:Policy Making; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000941:ethics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000941:ethics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000941:ethics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires