Frequency of Physical Restraint and Its Associations With Demographic and Clinical Characteristics in a Chinese Psychiatric Institution

Purpose Physical restraint ( PR ) is a highly controversal topic in psychiatry. Little is known about PR among psychiatric inpatients in C hina. This study examined the frequency of PR and its relationships with demographic and clinical characteristics among a large psychiatric institution in the H unan Province, C hina. Design and Methods The study included a consecutively assessed sample of 160 psychiatric inpatients. Sociodemographic and clinical data including use of PR were collected from the medical records using a form designed for this study and confirmed via interview. Findings The frequency of PR was 51.3% in the whole sample; 63.2% among female and 39.2% among male patients. In multiple logistic regression analysis PR was independently associated with male gender ( p = 0.001, odds ratio [ OR ] = 0.2, 95% confidence interval [ CI ] 0.1–0.6), less outpatient treatment prior to admission ( p = 0.03, OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.1–0.9), more frequent use of mood stabilizers ( p = 0.002, OR = 5.6, 95% CI 1.9–16.7), more aggressive behavior prior to admission ( p = 0.002, OR = 1.1, 95% CI 1.04–1.2), and younger age ( p = 0.04, OR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.93–0.99). Practice Implications PR is very common in clinical practice in C hina. Its demographic and clinical correlates are similar to findings in Western settings.