NCJ Number
230612
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 54 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2010 Pages: 441-447
Date Published
June 2010
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The study takes a detailed look at psychiatric patient violence towards their psychiatrists.
Abstract
It takes into consideration the views and opinions of Italian psychiatrists, whether they have experienced violent behaviour firsthand and, if so, which type of aggression and whether this caused them to modify their behaviour towards the patient and his or her treatment. A multiple-choice questionnaire is sent to all members of the Italian Society of Psychiatry, with 1,202 psychiatrists responding (20.23 percent of the sample). The data are evaluated using SPSS with chi-square test calculations for discrete and continuous variables and t-testing for independent samples (significance p less than .05). Almost all psychiatrists (90.9 percent) have experienced verbal aggression; 72 percent have been threatened with dangerous objects and 64.58 percent have suffered physical aggression. Physical aggression experiences result in a 50 percent increase in the probability of modifying one's therapeutic behaviour. Significant differences emerge between the psychiatrists, according to differences in age and career experience. Psychiatrists state that they do not consider themselves to be adequately prepared to deal with the violence of patients, and almost all psychiatrists felt the need for specific training in how to manage such violence. References (Published Abstract)