Effects of training on attitudes of psychiatric personnel towards patients who self‐injure

Abstract

BackgroundImproving attitudes of personnel towards self‐injurious patients leads to better working alliance and contributes to better patient outcomes. Previous research into the improvement of these attitudes has recorded the need for specific training in evidence‐based assessment and treatment of self‐injurious patients.AimThe current study describes the attitudes towards self‐injurious patients among psychiatric personnel. The study also evaluates the effect of a structured clinical training program on psychiatric personnel's attitudes towards patients who self‐injure. It further examines whether age, education, frequency of self‐injurious patients contact, and work experience of the personnel are associated with the existing attitudes.MethodsPsychiatric personnel (N = 50) attended a four‐day training program, presenting evidence‐based knowledge regarding self‐injury assessment and treatment, using group exercises and reflective learning principles. The personnel completed the Understanding Suicidal Patients Questionnaire (USP) anonymously PreTraining, on 17 January 2014, and PostTraining, on 20 June 2014. The mean differences as well as single USP items before and after the training were tested by unpaired t‐test. Two‐way ANOVA was used to test impact of background variables on the USP scores.ResultsThe training program had statistically significant impact (P < 0·01) on the following individual items of the USP scale: Patients who have tried to commit suicide are usually treated well in my work unit (d = 1·02); A person who has made several suicide attempt is at greater risk of committing suicide (d = 0·64); Because the patients who have tried to commit suicide have emotional problems, they need the best possible treatment (d = 0·57). The results also suggested that the frequency of patient contact had impact on attitudes towards self‐injurious patients.

Perceptions of knowledge, attitude and skills about non‐suicidal self‐injury: A survey of emergency and mental health nurses

“…There is evidence that practical training improves the confidence, attitudes, knowledge and practical skills of nurses to work with patients who self‐injure (Saunders et al ., 2012). Several authors recommend training to improve knowledge and attitudes of staff (Jeffery & Warm, 2002; Karman, Kool, Poslawsky, & van Meijel, 2015; Saunders et al ., 2012), which in turn contribute to more positive health outcomes for people who self‐injure (Tapola, Wahlström, & Lappalainen, 2016).…”

“…Clinical knowledge and attitudes of staff towards those who self‐injure is likely to influence clinical practice and the experience of people who seek care following NSSI (Saunders, Hawton, Fortune, & Farrell, 2012). Research conducted in the United States and Finland with nurses, doctors, social workers and psychologists found that staff hold negative attitudes towards patients who self‐injure (Muehlenkamp et al ., 2013; Tapola, Wahlström, & Lappalainen, 2016) and may respond with hostility, frustration and anger (Rayner et al ., 2019). Reece (2005) explored the language of self‐injury using a grounded theory and found that nurses working with patients who self‐injure may view them as ‘needing too much time’ to contain the behaviour when there are other competing nursing care tasks (Reece, 2005).…”

Effectiveness of Self Instructional Module (SIM) on Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Care of Attempted Suicide Patients among Staff Nurses – A Pre Experimental Study

“…In present study there is significant difference in mean scores on knowledge as the't' value obtained was higher than the tabulated value at 0.05 level of significance. So, it can be concluded that self-instructional module on knowledge regarding care of attempted suicide patients among staff nurses is effective 11 .…”

Addressing Self-Injury in Schools, Part 1: Understanding Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and the Importance of Respectful Curiosity in Supporting Youth Who Engage in Self-Injury

“…Nurses have clearly articulated their needs for greater knowledge and training to support persons who self-injure (Karman et al, 2015). Nurses who receive training on NSSI report less negative attitudes toward persons who self-injure (Tapola, Wahlström, & Lappalainen, 2016) as well as greater empathy, self-efficacy, reduced stigma, and delivering improved quality of care (McAllister, Billett, Moyle, & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2009; Thornicroft et al, 2016). Taken together, these findings suggest the importance of educational training in supporting improved care for persons who engage in NSSI and the need for a nonjudgmental, empathic approach.…”