Practice Parameter for the Prevention and Management of Aggressive Behavior in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Institutions, With Special Reference to Seclusion and Restraint (original) (raw)

The aggression-coercion cycle: Use of seclusion and restraint in a child psychiatric hospital

Journal of Child and Family Studies, 1993

The widespread use of seclusion and restraint in child psychiatric hospitals to manage aggression and noncompliance is based on the assumption that coercive consequences reduce the frequency of undesirable behaviors exhibited by the patients. We report a study of the use of seclusion and restraint in a public child psychiatric hospital during a 3-year period. Twenty-eight percent of the patients had been secluded or restrained a total of 1670 times. About 25% of these patients had been secluded more than five times during their hospitalization, and 32% had been placed in restraints more than once. Behaviors that typically resulted in repeated seclusion included physical aggression toward staff, verbal aggression toward peers, non-compliant or oppositional behavior, and self-harm. Variables that predicted patients most at risk for repeated seclusion included age, gender, and psychiatric diagnosis. The predictor variables for those most at risk for repeated restraint included age, property destruction, and self-harm. The high rates of use of seclusion and restraint suggest that these methods for controlling the behavior of children and adolescents in this child psychiatric hospital may not have been therapeutic. We suggest that staff in such hospitals engage in a pattern of behavior characterized by an aggression-coercion cycle, in which increasingly aggressh, e and coercive behaviors are exhibited by both patients and staff.

Methods and Strategies for Reducing Seclusion and Restraint in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Care

Psychiatric Quarterly, 2021

Restraints and seclusions are restrictive interventions used in psychiatric inpatient units when there is an imminent risk of harm to the patient or others. Coercive measures are controversial and can lead to negative consequences, including negative emotions, re-traumatization, injuries, or death. The article summarizes the last 10 years of literature regarding methods and strategies used for reducing seclusions and restraints in child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient units, and reports on their outcomes. The literature was reviewed by searching PubMed and PsycInfo for English-language articles published between May 2010 and May 2020. Eighteen articles were found that described methods or strategies aimed at reducing restraint or seclusion utilization in child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient units. The following interventions were evaluated: Trauma-Informed Care (TIC), Six Core Strategies, Child and Family Centered Care (CFCC), Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS), St...

Reducing seclusion and restraint during child and adolescent inpatient treatment: still an underdeveloped area of research

Journal of child and adolescent psychiatric nursing : official publication of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses, Inc, 2014

Half of all youth hospitalized in inpatient psychiatric facilities manifest aggressive behavior. When aggression escalates to the point of danger, measures must be employed to guarantee safety of both patients and staff. In this paper, the current empirical evidence for intervention models to reduce restriction and restraint utilization in children and adolescents is reviewed. PubMed and PsycINFO were searched for English-language articles published between 2006 and 2013. Included were empirical studies of child or adolescent inpatient populations using a pretest and posttest design. Included in this review are three empirical papers describing two different intervention models that met the inclusion criteria. The review indicates there are two empirical supported intervention models that are helpful in reducing seclusion and restraint utilization in children and adolescents. The promising empirical findings support evidence and application to the child/adolescent population for at ...

Two-Year Trends in the Use of Seclusion and Restraint Among Psychiatrically Hospitalized Youths

Psychiatric Services, 2003

Objectives: This study examined characteristics associated with the use of seclusion and restraint among 442 psychiatrically hospitalized youths and sought to quantify changing trends in the rates of these modalities of treatment over time after the 1999 implementation of federal regulations and an institutional performance improvement program. Methods: Demographic and clinical data related to all 5,929 incidents of seclusion and restraint that occurred during 2000 and 2001 at a child and adolescent state psychiatric hospital were analyzed. Results: The two-year prevalence of use of seclusion was 61 percent and of restraint was 49 percent. Children and adolescents who were admitted on an emergency basis and those belonging to ethnic minority groups were more likely to undergo seclusion or restraint. Children aged 11 years and younger were more likely to undergo seclusion. The total number of episodes decreased by 26 percent and their cumulative duration decreased by 38 percent between the first quarter of 2000 and the last quarter of 2001. The decreases were the result of fewer seclusion and restraint incidents as well as shorter episodes of restraint. Over time, a concurrent increase was observed in the proportion of episodes associated with patient (but not staff) injuries and with as-needed use of medications. Conclusions: National reforms and institutional efforts can lead to downward trends in the use of seclusion and restraint among psychiatrically hospitalized youths. The active elements of these interventions warrant further study and replication. (Psychiatric Services 54:987-993, 2003)

Impact of a Program for the Management of Aggressive Behaviors on Seclusion and Restraint Use in Two High-Risk Units of a Mental Health Institute

Psychiatric Quarterly, 2017

The Omega Program for the Management of Aggressive Behaviors aims to reduce patients' dangerous behaviors, towards themselves or others, and to reduce the use of seclusion and restraint (S/R). A previous study in a Mental Health Institute (Montreal, Canada) showed that implementing this program allowed employees of the intensive care and emergency units to gain confidence in coping with patients' aggressions and to reduce their psychological distress. The present study, conducted in the same high-risk units, assesses the effect of the program on S/R use. We hypothesize that the incidence and duration of S/R should diminish significantly following the implementation of the program in both units. This naturalistic, prospective study covered archival data between April 2010 and July 2014. Pre-training data (April 2010-December 2011) were compared to data during training (January 2012-October 2012) and to post-training data (November 2012-July 2014) for both units. In the intensive care unit, we confirmed an increase of both mean daily number and duration of S/R by admissions in pre-training, followed by a decrease during the training and post-training. In the emergency unit, a decreasing trend is seen during the entire period thus suggesting that the decrease in S/R may be independent of the training. These findings suggest that Omega is a promising intervention program to use in an intensive care unit. However, a more global approach, including institutional changes in culture and attitude, can be important factors to develop to increase the positive outcomes.

Use of holding, restraints, seclusion and time-out in child and adolescent psychiatric in-patient treatment

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2002

The aim of the study was to analyse the use of holding, restraints, seclusion and time-out in child and adolescent psychiatric in-patient treatment in Finland. The study included 504 child and adolescent psychiatric in-patients in the year 2000. Time-out had been used for 28 %, holding for 26 %, seclusion for 8 %, and mechanical restraints for 4 % of the in-patients. In multivariate analysis, aggressive acts were the strongest factor associated with all kinds of restraint practices. Psychosis, suicidal acts and older age (13–18 years) were associated with seclusion and mechanical restraints. Younger age (

A Systematic Review of the Safety and Effectiveness of Restraint and Seclusion as Interventions for the Short-Term Management of Violence in Adult Psychiatric Inpatient Settings and Emergency Departments

Worldviews on Evidence-based Nursing, 2006

Aims: The aim of this review was to assess whether restraint and seclusion are safe and effective interventions for the short-term management of disturbed/violent behaviour. Staff and service user perspectives on the use of these interventions were also considered. The review was undertaken as part of the development process for a national guideline on the short-term management of disturbed/violent behaviour in adult psychiatric inpatient settings and emergency departments in the United Kingdom.Method: An exhaustive literature search was undertaken. Systematic reviews, before and after studies, as well as qualitative studies were included. Searches were run from 1985 to 2002.Findings: Thirty-six eligible studies were identified. However, none were randomised controlled trials. Most of the included studies had many limitations, such as small sample sizes, confounders not adequately accounted for, potential selection bias, poorly reported results, and lack of clarity as to whether mechanical restraints were used. This review must therefore be viewed as a mapping exercise, which illustrates the range and quality of studies that have been undertaken in this area to date.Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Insufficient evidence is available to determine whether seclusion and restraint are safe and/or effective interventions for the short-term management of disturbed/violent behaviour in adult psychiatric inpatient settings. These interventions should therefore be used with caution and only as a last resort once other methods of calming a situation and/or service user have failed.Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing 2006; 3(1):8-18

Restraint and seclusion in psychiatric inpatient wards

Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 2005

Purpose of review Despite the controversy over the use of seclusion and restraint, these measures are commonly used to treat and manage disruptive and violent behaviour. This review summarizes recent research on the use of seclusion and restraint, and measures taken to reduce their use. Recent findings Lately, prominent international recommendations have aimed to restrict the use of seclusion and restraint, and reminded that they should only be used in exceptional cases, where there are no other means of remedying the situation and under the supervision of a doctor. The use of seclusion and restraint has remained prevalent, but there are serveral innovative programmes that have succeeded in controlling and reducing their use. Staff attitudes about seclusion and restraint have changed little in the last few years. Summary There is a need for novel methods to treat violence and the threat of violence on psychiatric wards. Violence is a complex phenomenon that needs to be met with a multiprofessional approach. Customer involvement in this work is required. The assessment of the effectiveness of programmes aiming to minimizing seclusion and restraint has been hampered by the lack of parallel control groups and there is a need for cluster-randomized trials. When studying these interventions, the safety of staff and patients should be included as on outcome measure.