Assessment of the social atmospheres of psychiatric wards.

Abstract

The development of a Ward Atmosphere Scale, which differentiates between the social atmospheres of psychiatric inpatient wards, is described. An initial form of the scale was given to patients and staff on 14 wards from Veterans Administration, state, community, private, and university hospitals. The 2nd form of the scale consists of items which significantly differentiate between wards for patients and/or staff. This form includes 12 subscales, e.g., Spontaneity, Autonomy, Affiliation, Aggression, Variety, and Support, each of which measures the emphasis on 1 dimension of ward atmosphere. Ward profiles which compare average patient perceptions of different wards have been constructed. The importance of developing measures of psychological environments and the implications relating to the matching of individual needs and environmental press were discussed.

The EssenCES measure of social climate: A preliminary validation and normative data in UK high secure hospital settings

“…One of Moos's most important contributions has been the Ward Atmosphere Scale (WAS), available in different versions for different settings (Moos, 1997). The WAS is a 100-item scale which purports to measure 10 aspects of the social climate of a unit or institution, and is completed by staff and patients (Moos and Houts, 1968). In recent years the Moos scales have been subject to critiques (for an overview, see Schalast et al, 2008), with critics suggesting that item content is outdated, that the time and effort required for completion is too long for repeated clinical use, and that the low internal consistency of some scales, and discrepancies between the scales and the factor structure of the measure are problematic (Rossberg and Friis, 2003a,b).…”

EssenCES, a short questionnaire for assessing the social climate of forensic psychiatric wards

“…Moos and Houts, 1968;Moos, 1973Moos, , 1975. The Ward Atmosphere Scale (WAS) (Moos and Houts, 1968) has been considered the standard instrument for assessing the climate of psychiatric wards in the past. Moos' scales have stimulated empirical investigation of social climates and helped to operationalize important theoretical constructs in the fi eld.…”

“…The latter author's social climate scales are well known and have been used in a number of major studies (e.g. Moos and Houts, 1968;Moos, 1973Moos, , 1975. The Ward Atmosphere Scale (WAS) (Moos and Houts, 1968) has been considered the standard instrument for assessing the climate of psychiatric wards in the past.…”

Assessing the Social Climate of Prisons

“…Moos' work covers a range of service settings, including health, mental health, and correctional institutions and draws on his original proposal that three dimensions can capture the climate of an institution: relationship; personal development; and system maintenance and system change (Moos 1975). One of Moos most important contributions to research in this field has been the Ward Atmosphere Scale (WAS; available in different versions for different settings, including prisons), a 100−item scale which purports to measure ten aspects of the social climate of a unit or institution, which is completed by both staff and patients (Moos & Houts 1968).…”