Prevalence of aggression suffered by mental care nurses in psychiatric care hospitals

Goal of the research – to reveal the prevalence of aggression suffered by mental care nurses in psychiatric care hospitals. Tasks of the research: to explore the types and frequency of aggression suffered by mental care nurses in State’s psychiatric care hospitals; to clarify the behavior of mental care nurses once they experience the violence of an aggressive patient; to determine the mental illnesses which are characteristic to the patients who most often tend to use aggression towards mental care nurses. Method of the research – the research was conducted from February till April, in 2013. An original questionnaire POPAS (Perception of Prevalence of Aggression Scale) suggested by the author Nico Oud was used for the research together with an additionally created questionnaire. 300 mental care nurses working in State’s psychiatric care hospitals were participating in the research. Results of the research. The results of the research have shown that most often the nurses face verbal and threatening verbal aggression, humiliating aggressive patient behavior, which happen often or very often. Severe physical violence from the patients, sexual harassment, suicides and attempts to commit suicides happen often and very often. In many cases nurses inform their colleagues once they go to the ward in which the aggressive patient is hospitalized and once they enter, they stay between the patient and the doors and, if possible, the doors are left open. The nurses seek to ensure that there would be no unnecessary irritants and noises in the environment of such patients, which could increase the frustration and lower the control of the impulsive behavior; the nurses try not to show their fear, do not withdraw, maintain their attention, talk to the patient and let them express their anger by words. Respondents who treat patients who are diagnosed with mental or behavior disorders due to use of psychoactive substances face a higher probability to experience verbal and threatening verbal forms of aggression; often or many often the probability to face provocative aggressive behavior is almost two times higher comparing to the respondents whose patients are not diagnosed with such disorders; besides, often and very often the probability to face threatening physical aggression from such patients is almost three times higher comparing to the respondents who treat patients not diagnosed with such disorders. Probability of patient’s severe violence towards herself or himself is three times higher for the patients which suffer from adult personality or behavior disorders comparing to the patients who are not diagnosed with such disorders. And vice versa, often and very often the respondents who work in departments that treat patients suffering from schizophrenia, schizotypal and gibberish disorders face lower probability to experience humiliating aggressive behavior and passive aggressive behavior comparing to the respondents who treat patients who are not diagnosed with such disorders. Conclusions of the research. After evaluating the type of aggression prevalence in State’s psychiatric care hospitals it was concluded that two thirds of nurses experience verbal aggression; every third nurse experiences threatening verbal aggression; almost one third of nurses experience humiliating and provocative forms of aggression. In average every fifth nurse faces the form of physical aggression, including severe physical violence. Half of the respondents state that once they face an aggressive patient they inform their colleagues before going to the ward of such patient; every fourth respondent removes unnecessary irritants; every third respondent tries not to show his or her fear, talks to patient, tries to calm him or her down; and almost one fourth of the respondents said that in case the aggression is unavoidable they inform the physicians and physically restricts the patient under physician’s orders. The probability of verbal aggression, threatening verbal aggression and provocative aggressive behavior is two times higher if the patient suffers from mental and behavior disorders; meanwhile, often and very often the probability of patient’s severe violent behavior towards himself or herself is three times higher comparing to the patients who are not diagnosed with such disorders