The nurse’s role in the management of aggression

Although research into the phenomenon of aggression within psychiatric inpatient settings has established a strong casual link with mental illness, there is widespread agreement that diagnostic or demographic characteristics cannot accurately predict such behaviours. In addition, studies have consistently failed to establish how nursing management responses influence the course of aggression within these environments. Therefore, an assumption can be made that specific contextual factors are significant, and that management responses have an effect on outcomes. This review examines the nurses’ impact on inpatient aggression and how management strategies affect the therapeutic value of intervention.