Experiences of Violence during Inpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Treatment: An Explorative Study with Implications for Child Protection

Abstract

Objective: Educational and medical institutions care for children and adolescents by providing supervision, schooling, education, therapy, and protection. Nevertheless, children in institutional care are exposed to potential danger through maltreatment and abuse. Method: As part of the establishment of the protection concept at the University Hospital for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Würzburg, a retrospective patient survey was conducted. The study population consisted of former inpatient clients from 2006 and 2007, who at the time of the catamnesis were of legal age. The survey was conducted by mail. In addition to items on their experiences of violence, the questionnaire included established scales to assess treatment satisfaction and quality of life (FBB-K, WHO-BREF). Results: Of 568 former patients, 87 (15.3 %) provided valid responses (59 female, mean age at the time of the survey: 24.5 years): 35 former patients (40.2 % of the participants) reported experiences of violence during their inpatient treatment (26 victims only, 7 experiences as victims and perpetrators, and 2 perpetrators only). Experiences as victims mainly included emotional violence (34.5 %), but also physical (5.7 %) and sexual violence (10.3 %). Conclusion: We found a significant correlation between experiences of violence, on the one hand, and retrospective treatment satisfaction and current quality of life, on the other hand. The results of the survey underline the importance of establishing protection concepts in clinics and other institutions.