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Fifteen years of research with the Staff Observation Aggression Scale: a review
Author(s) -
Nijman H. L. I.,
Palmstierna T.,
Almvik R.,
Stolker J. J.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2004.00417.x
Subject(s) - aggression , scale (ratio) , injury prevention , poison control , occupational safety and health , clinical psychology , incidence (geometry) , medicine , human factors and ergonomics , psychology , psychiatry , suicide prevention , medical emergency , pathology , physics , quantum mechanics , optics
Objective: Research on the prevalence and causes of in‐patient aggression has been hindered by the use of different methods for measuring aggression. Since Palmstierna and Wistedt presented the Staff Observation Aggression Scale (SOAS) in 1987, this data collection method has been used in various studies, which may make comparisons more useful. Method: Studies with SOAS aggression data were compiled using MEDLINE, the Internet, and references from SOAS papers. Results: Reviews of studies on psychometric properties suggest fair to good inter‐rater reliability and validity for SOAS assessments. The number of aggressive incidents per patient per year found on acute admissions wards ( n = 38) considerably varied, with a range of 0.4–33.2 incidents (mean = 9.3). Conclusion: Although the aggression data included in the present review were obtained in highly comparable ways, substantial differences in aggression rates between wards were still found. Some countries (e.g. the Netherlands) appear to have a relatively high incidence of aggression on acute wards.