Emotion-oriented care is more effective with regard to the emotional adaptation in nursing homes of persons with a mild to moderate dementia. For the severely demented elderly we did not find this surplus value. This outcome is of clinical importance for elderly persons with dementia who are cared for in nursing homes. With respect to the nursing assistants it is concluded that emotion-oriented care has a positive influence on stress reactions in some of them.

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Based on an examination of the relevant literature, this article presents a survey of psychosocial models used in the psychogeriatric field. Models with a multidimensional approach to behavior problems in dementia and a focus on the individual were selected. The utility of these psychosocial models as a theoretical framework for emotion-oriented care for people with dementia, especially Alzheimer disease, is examined. In addition to describing the models, this article also reports on the target group for which these models were developed, the degree to which they have been operationalized for psychogeriatrics, and the degree to which they have been subjected to empirical testing. This study shows that all psychosocial models described may be called emotion-oriented, although they also contain, in varying degrees, elements from the consequences model. It was found that the models are used not only as a theoretical framework for research, but also in the provision of care. Despite the fact that most models have been used in the psychogeriatric field, therefore proving their practicability for psychogeriatric practice, only one of the models described has been tested empirically so far. The theoretical validity of the models in question is, therefore, not yet clear.

The present study focuses on the characterization and perception of patient aggression by nurses working in a psychiatric hospital in The Netherlands. Data have been collected by interviewing nurses working on open and closed wards. The results have been compared and related to the existing literature on aggression. An expert panel has collaborated in the assessment of part of the research findings. Nurses perceive and describe aggression in different ways. Since the descriptions of aggression varied considerably, it was not possible to formulate a general definition of aggression on the basis of the results of the study. Despite the fact that on the whole the general public have a negative view of aggression, the descriptions nurses gave were not always negative. Most of the nurses acknowledged positive as well as negative aspects of aggressive behaviour by patients. Interventions in cases of aggressive behaviour depend on different factors, e.g. the individual nurse's perception of the situation, the (mostly unwritten) rules, and the type of ward (open or closed). The same interventions are often used both to prevent aggression and to stop it. The difference lies in the moment of execution. Most interventions are aimed at stopping aggressive behaviour by acting in a non-restrictive way, e.g. by talking to the patient, touching the patient and giving unexpected responses. Nurses express the belief that aggression is mainly caused by a combination of patient-related, situational and interactional factors. This is not in accordance with the opinion of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, who relate aggressive behaviour mainly to patient characteristics.