Violence by Psychiatric In-patients

Abstract

A register of violence incidents showed a progressive increase in in-patient violence from 1976 to 1984, followed by a slight decline to 1987. The case notes of all 137 in-patients committing assaults during 1982 were analysed and compared with those of matched controls. Violence was often repetitive. The most common victims were nurses and then patients. The violent patients were more likely to be schizophrenic, deluded and hallucinated, and to have been repeatedly admitted. The violent and control groups had similar backgrounds, and both showed high levels of social isolation and unemployment. Violence tended to be repetitive, and the violent patients were usually identifiable from previous aggressive and disturbed behaviour. There was a high proportion of Afro-Caribbean patients who tended to be younger, more psychotic, and more seriously violent. Afro-Caribbeans were particularly likely to be detained compulsorily and treated in a locked ward.

Adverse Incidents, Patient Flow and Nursing Workforce Variables on Acute Psychiatric Wards: The Tompkins Acute Ward Study

“…There is currently no national data on the nursing workforce variables we report, although several papers suggest that, per week per ward, between 44 and 455 hrs of nursing time is spent on special observation (Childs, Thomas, & Tibbles, 1994;Porter, McCann, & McGregor, 1998 Fottrell et al (1978) surveyed violence in a UK hospital, and it is possible to estimate a figure of 0.68 incidents per 100 bed days from their data, with a similar study providing an estimate of 0.63 per 100 bed days for 1987 (Noble & Rodger, 1989). Both these figures are based on all types of wards, and are higher than the figure of 0.43 per 100 bed days for all aggression found during this study of acute wards only.…”

Modification of Severe Violent and Aggressive Behavior among Psychiatric Inpatients through the Use of a Short-Term Token Economy

“…These factors were more likely to be male, less than 45 years old, and those from diagnosis of schizophrenia (Chukwujekwu & Stanley, 2011;Pearson et al, 1986) use of temporary nursing staff (James, Fineberg, Shah, & Priest, 1990); previous aggressive and disturbed behavior (Noble & Rodger, 1989); criminal record and previous drug abuse (Walker & Seifert, 1994).…”

Prevention and Management of Aggression Training and Violent Incidents on U.K. Acute Psychiatric Wards

“…Steeply rising trends were reported in a comparable London hospital during the 1980s (Noble & Rodger 1989). Comparisons are not easy to make because of differences in ward types, but it would appear that had those trends continued, our data should have shown rates of two violent incidents per ward per week.…”