Exposure to aggression and the impact on staff in a child and adolescent inpatient unit.
Aggression is common in mental health services, but little research has examined exposure to aggression and its impact on staff in children and adolescent settings. Staff members within a child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit were interviewed to examine exposure to aggression and perceptions about the impact of aggression. Involvement in episodes of physical aggression was common (84.8%, 28/33) and was linked to difficulty attending work and other emotional and professional sequelae. These findings suggest that aggression is an important issue for staff working in child and adolescent settings and that aggression may impair the therapeutic capacity of staff.
Dean
Angela J
AJ
Kids in Mind Research, Mater Child and Youth Mental Health Service, South Brisbane QLD, Australia. angela.dean@mater.org.au
Gibbon
Peter
P
McDermott
Brett M
BM
Davidson
Tim
T
Scott
James
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000296:Adolescent Psychiatry; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002665:Child Psychiatry; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010343:Patient Admission; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires