Profiling Absconders from Public and Private Inpatient Psychiatric Units: a Comparative Analysis

Cabarkapa, Sonja; Sadhu, Raja; King, Joel; Dowling, Nathan; Radhakrishnan, Raghavakurup; Akinbiyi, Akinsola; Srinivasaraju, Ravindra; Stevenson, Dean

doi:10.1007/s11126-019-09703-7

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…However, we focused on demographic characteristics and psychiatric diagnosis. The general profile of absconders (being young, male, single, diagnosis of mood disorder or substance-related disorders, involuntary hospitalization) was concordant with previous studies (1,2,4,13,(19)(20)(21).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Herein, we tried to demonstrate the characteristics of absconders, the condition of absconding, prevalent psychiatric diagnoses, and the role of substances, motivations, and consequences of this event over 3 years in a psychiatric hospital. The absconding rate was among the lowest rates of absconding from a psychiatric hospital that was reported in the literature (1,19). This may mostly relate to the hospital policy of closed wards.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…admissions can be voluntary or involuntary, various definitions have been proposed for absconding. The definition considered in this paper is " patient leaving the hospital unauthorized and not referring back" (1). The rate of absconding varies among psychiatric hospitals from 0.18% to 34% of the hospital's total admissions (2)(3)(4)(5).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Absconding from a Psychiatric Hospital in a Developing Country, Related Factors, and the Consequences

Yahyavi,

Faraji

2023

MJIRI

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Background: This study aimed to investigate the factors related to absconding and consequences of absconding in a psychiatric hospital in a developing country within 3 years.Methods: This was a retrograde descriptive cross-sectional study from a psychiatry hospital in a developing country, Iran. The registered data of absconding between March 2018 and February 2021 were extracted. Furthermore, a retrograde follow-up by telephone on what happened after the absconding and the remembered motives was done. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software for Windows Version 23 by descriptive statistics. The chi-square test, Fisher exact test, Student t test, or Mann-Whitney U tests were used for data analysis. P ˂ .05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Out of 7069 admitted patients during a 36-month period, 51 (39 men and 12 women) had absconded. The total absconding rate was 0.72%. The mean ± (SD) age of the patients was 29.7 ± (10.46) years, with a range of 10 to 54 years. No statistical difference between men and women emerged in terms of age (P = 0.89). Most of the absconders were men (76%), young (mean age, 29.7 years), single (70.6%), and involuntarily hospitalized (78.4%) in an urban area (90.2%), and absconded in the evening shift (58.8%) via the route of the main gate (58.8%) in the early days of admission (5 days). In terms of psychiatric diagnosis, the highest rank belonged to bipolar disorder (33.33%) and substance-related disorders (33.33%). About one-third of absconders had a current substance-related problem and most of them had experienced withdrawal symptoms or cravings days before absconding (75%). Absconders mentioned that "no need for admission" (45.1%), "economic problems" (23.5%), and "substance craving" (13.7%) were the most common reasons for leaving the hospital. Most of the absconders were hospitalized later (70.5%). The risk for self-harm (21%) or harm to others (2%) after absconding was low. Conclusion:The general profile of absconders was concordant with previous studies. It was highlighted that economic problems in recent years had an evident impact on patients and it could be postulated that consideration of substance withdrawal may decrease absconding. It is advised to adhere to the policies that support community-based psychiatry and place an emphasis on early discharge and continuity of outpatient care.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

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Absconding from a Psychiatric Hospital in a Developing Country, Related Factors, and the Consequences

Yahyavi,

Faraji

2023

MJIRI

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“…Yet, medical literature shows that hospitals when compared with mental health settings have appreciable differences in their environments, facilities, and security and staff available (Cabarkapa et al 2020), which may be more or less conducive to individuals go missing. Due to this lack of distinction, police response efforts are unable to prioritize according to the factors associated with missing cases from each place.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Profiling Persons Reported Missing from Hospitals versus Mental Health Facilities

Ferguson

2022

Preprint

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Missing person reports from hospitals and mental health facilities are a significant issue with potential for harm to patients and the community, along with resource detriments for police. Research on missing persons seldom considers the type of location from where people go missing, which can be troublesome due to the increased chances for harm during an episode from hospitals and mental health facilities. When location type is studied, these often remarkably different places are frequently blended together in analyses and discussions. This conflation has implications for research and the development of effective police preventive responses. To begin to address this gap, this study uses descriptive analysis and logistic regression to examine the profiles of those reported missing from hospitals versus those reported missing from mental health units. For this, data are taken from a sample of 916 closed missing person cases reported to a Canadian municipal police service over five years. Results suggest there are significant differences in both the descriptive and predictive profile of individuals reported missing from these two location types, such as individuals with varying mental health and cognitive issues going missing from each place, respectively. Given the findings, the implications for research, policing, and risk management are discussed.

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“…Consequently, the issue of missing person reports from hospitals or mental health facilities is not depicted as a distinct issue affecting policing, but instead is viewed as a general problem related to institutional locations. Yet, medical literature shows that hospitals when compared with mental health settings have appreciable differences in their environments, facilities, and security and staff available (Cabarkapa et al, 2020), which may be more or less conducive to individuals going missing. Because of this lack of distinction, police response efforts are unable to prioritize according to the factors associated with missing person cases from each place.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Profiling persons reported missing from hospitals versus mental health facilities

Ferguson

2021

International Journal of Police Science & Management

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Missing person reports from hospitals and mental health facilities are a significant issue impacting patients, communities, and health and police sectors. Research on missing persons seldom considers the type of location from where people go missing, which can be troublesome due to the increased chances for experiencing harm during an episode from hospitals and mental health facilities. When location type is studied, these often remarkably different places are frequently blended together in analyses and discussions. This conflation has implications for research and the development of effective police preventive responses. To begin to address this gap, this study uses descriptive analysis and logistic regression to examine the descriptive and predictive profiles of those reported missing from hospitals versus those reported missing from mental health units. For this, data are taken from a sample of 916 closed missing person cases reported to a Canadian municipal police service over five years. Results suggest there are significant differences in both the descriptive and predictive profiles of individuals reported missing from these two location types, such as individuals with varying mental health and cognitive issues going missing from each place, respectively. Given the findings, the implications for research, policing, and risk management are discussed.

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Profiling Absconders from Public and Private Inpatient Psychiatric Units: a Comparative Analysis

Cited by 6 publications

References 28 publications

Absconding from a Psychiatric Hospital in a Developing Country, Related Factors, and the Consequences

Absconding from a Psychiatric Hospital in a Developing Country, Related Factors, and the Consequences

Profiling Persons Reported Missing from Hospitals versus Mental Health Facilities

Profiling persons reported missing from hospitals versus mental health facilities

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