Assessment of attitudes related to the management of aggression and violence in four psychiatric hospitals

Date
2011-03
Authors
Bock, Theresa Melodie
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this descriptive survey was to investigate the attitudes of mental health care providers with regards to the management of aggression and violence. The absence of scientific data describing the attitudes of nurses towards the management of aggression and violence motivated the researcher to conduct this study. The researcher undertook a descriptive survey to describe the attitudes of nurses towards the management of aggression and violence. The management of aggression and violence attitude scale (MAVAS) was administered to N92 nurses with different qualifications these nurses are employed in the acute admission units of four psychiatric hospitals in a province in South Africa. The results showed no significant differences in attitudes between the different categories of nurses in most of the questions. Enough evidence was gathered that indicated, compared to trained staff, staff without a qualification in psychiatric nursing science had found it difficult to calm patients down, had not understood the effect of the environment on a patient, had felt that patients should control their feelings and had lacked the perception of trained nurses, with regards to the effect of negotiation and poor communication on violent and aggressive mental healthcare users. These findings can make significant contributions towards the implementation of training programmes and policies to assist staff to deal with patient related aggression and violence. Furthermore the data generated can contribute towards future research in this field with subsequent expansion of skills programmes.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doelstelling van hierdie navorsings studie was om die houding van psigiatriese gesondheidsdiens voorsieners ten opsigte van die hantering van aggresie en geweld te bepaal. Die afwesigheid van wetenskaplik gefundeerde data het die navorser genoop om hierdie studie te onderneem. Die navorser het derhalwe ʼn beskrywende studie gedoen om die houding van verpleegsters ten opsigte van die hantering van aggressie en geweld te bepaal. Die “management of aggression and violence attitude scale” (MAVAS) is deur N92 verpleegsters met verskillende kwalifikasies voltooi. Hierdie verpleegsters is indiens van vier verskillende psigiatriese hospitale in ʼn provinsie in Suid- Afrika. Die verpleegsters werk in die akute opname eenhede van die onderskeie hospitale. Die resultate het geen noemenswaardige verskille tussen die onderskeie kategorieë verpleegsters se houding teenoor die hantering van aggressie en eweld aangedui nie. Genoegsame bewys is ingesamel wat aandui; dat in vergelyking met opgeleide personeel, personeel sonder ʼn kwalifikasie in psigiatriese verpleeg wetenskappe, dit moeiliker vind om pasiënte te kalmeer, nie verstaan watter effek die omgewing op ʼn pasiënt het nie. Dié kategorieë voel pasiënte moet hul gevoellens beheer en het ook nie dieselfde persepsie ten opsigte van die effek van onderhandeling en swak kommunikasie op aggressiewe en geweldadige psigiatriese gesondheids diens verbruikers as hul kollegas nie. Hierdie bevindings is ʼn belangrike bydrae ten opsigte van die implementering van opleidings programme en beleid ten einde personeel te ondersteun om pasiënt verwante aggressie en geweld te hanteer. Die nuwe data gegenereer deur dié navorsings studie kan bydra tot toekomstige navorsing in hierdie veld asook gevolglike uitbreiding van vaardigheids programme.
Description
Thesis (MCur)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
Keywords
Psychiatric hospitals -- Nurses'attitutdes, Management of aggression -- Psychiatric patients, Management of violence -- Psychiatric patients, Dissertations -- Nursing, Theses -- Nursing
Citation