Parakkal Kurian L, Rentala S, Belsiyal CX, Srinivasan P, Govindar Thimmajja S. Aggressive behavior and its associated factors among persons with mental illness: An observational study.
J Educ Health Promot 2023;
12:249. [PMID:
37727413 PMCID:
PMC10506767 DOI:
10.4103/jehp.jehp_195_23]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Aggressive behavior of psychiatric inpatients causes severe complications during treatment; nursing staff needs to understand the factors associated with aggression in inpatient units to prevent aggression.
AIM
This study aimed to examine the level of aggression and its associated factors.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A descriptive observational design was conducted among aggressive patients. An aggressive behavior event was observed during the aggression episode. Data were collected from 55 patients with aggressive behavior using the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised (SOAS-R) and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Patient-, staff-, and ward-related factors were assessed using a structured questionnaire.
RESULTS
About 69% of patients had a severe level of aggressive behavior. There was a significant association between gender, the severity of symptoms, staff-to-patient ratio, ward milieu, and the number of caregivers with levels of aggression.
CONCLUSION
The majority of the persons with mental illness exhibited severe aggression in a psychiatric setting. Being male, the presence of psychotic symptoms, ward milieu, staff-to-patient ratio, and availability of caregivers were significantly associated with aggression. This study adds to the existing literature by focusing on managing ward-related factors (avoiding noise and overcrowding) to prevent aggressive behavior among mentally ill patients.
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