Experiences of aggression and violence across dementia and adult acute psychiatric facilities

This thesis explores care staff and nurses’ experiences of aggression and violence whilst working in dementia and adult acute psychiatric facilities. Chapter one presents a systematic literature review of studies based on the perceptions and impact of aggression from patients with dementia, adopting a care staff perspective. The findings highlighted the subjective experiences of aggression, care staff perceptions of its causes and the physical and psychological impact which aggression had on care staff. A key finding was that care staff perceptions of aggression and its impact influenced patient care and the reporting of aggression. The chapter discusses key implications for practice and policy and identifies recommendations for future research. Chapter two consists of an empirical study exploring nurses’ lived experiences of violence from patients whilst working on adult acute psychiatric facilities. Eight nurses were recruited from two hospital sites and completed semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data revealed the personal perceptions of violence and its causes and the psychological, physical, occupational and relational impact that violence had on the nurses. All nurses employed individual and group survival strategies to help manage their experiences of violence and its impact. Implications for clinical practice and policy and recommendations for future research are discussed. Chapter three presents a reflective account of my research journey throughout training to be a Clinical Psychologist. I use a reflexive stance to explore the development of my research interest, the meaning of violence and to discuss my own responses to the nurses’ experiences. The paper also explores how I managed different roles during the research process and how I have developed as a clinician and researcher