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Measures and narratives of the nature, causes and consequences of violent assaults and risk perception of psychiatric hospitals in Ghana: Mental Health workers’ perspectives
Author(s) -
Atinga Roger A.,
Yarney Lily,
SaaTouh Mort Kingsley,
Gariba Joshua A.,
Salifu Yendork Joana
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of mental health nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.911
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1447-0349
pISSN - 1445-8330
DOI - 10.1111/inm.12878
Subject(s) - psychosocial , mental health , psychological intervention , workplace violence , medicine , psychiatry , occupational safety and health , suicide prevention , poison control , health care , injury prevention , referral , psychology , family medicine , medical emergency , pathology , economics , economic growth
Abstract Literature shows that mental healthcare workers in Ghana face incessant fear of patient violence that compromise safe care delivery. However, the nature, scale, perceived causes, and consequences of these assaults and how they shape risk perceptions have received limited empirical attention, hence the need for this study. The study employed sequential explanatory mixed methods where questionnaire administration preceded and informed the design of an interview guide used for in‐depth interviews with health workers in referral psychiatric hospitals. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regressions were used to analyze the quantitative data. Qualitative data were transcribed and analyzed thematically. Findings showed that physical and non‐physical violent assaults and risk perceptions of the hospitals were statistically and significantly associated with females ( P < 0.01), nurses ( P < 0.01), other clinical cadre ( P < 0.01), and those with low job tenure ( P < 0.05). About 57% and 71% of the sample reported experiencing physical and non‐physical assaults, respectively. Major and minor injuries and psychosocial problems were frequent sequelae following physical violent assaults. As a result, 80% of the participants perceived the hospitals environment to be unsafe to provide care. Violent assaults compromises safety and care delivery efforts suggesting the need for systematic interventions to minimize mental healthcare workers exposure to patient violence.