Toward a Safer Working Environment on Psychiatric Wards: Service Users' Delayed Perspectives of Aggression and Violence-Related Situations and Development Ideas

PURPOSE: To explore service users' (n = 9) delayed perceptions of and suggestions for improvement of management of aggression/violence in psychiatry. DESIGN AND METHOD: Focus group interviews, inductive content analysis. FINDINGS: Participants reported aggression/violence-related negative perceptions (including loneliness, boredom, excessive control, and fear) but also memories of humane and caring personnel. The suggestions included meaningful activities and humane, interactive nursing. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Delayed perceptions and proposals resembled the proximate ones. Perceptions may persist for years. Such perceptions and proposals, if taken into account from the beginning of treatment, may prevent negative long-term consequences of witnessed or experienced aggression/violence. Humane, interactive nursing models should be studied and disseminated.