Staff attitudes towards seclusion and restraint in forensic settings

Abstract

Aggression on forensic wards occurs commonly, as 82 % of staff and 46 % of patients report having been targets of aggression (Pulsford et al. 2013). This high incidence of violence, the constant threat of violence and the knowledge of a patient’s criminal history affect nursing staff. Nurses therefore have to deal with fear on a daily basis; it affects nursing care, as nurses have to deal with both fear and situations in which they must maintain control. In such situations, seclusion and restraint serve as a means to control threatening and dangerous situations. Although the use of seclusion and restraint in forensic psychiatric settings is quite well researched, there seems to be a gap in the knowledge of the staff’s attitudes towards seclusion and restraint. Personal opinions on interventions seem to be a major factor when choosing one method or the other. Regardless of the actual measure in question, the measure that is most familiar to the staff is also judged to be the safest and most preferable in clinical practice.