Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
School
School of Nursing and Midwifery
First Supervisor
Dr Irene Ngune
Second Supervisor
Dr Gelaye Nadew
Third Supervisor
Associate Professor Theresa Williams
Abstract
Patient aggression towards staff is a growing concern in psychiatric hospitals and clinicians; nurses specifically, are the most frequent targets of physical and verbal assaults. Assault and its consequences can severely impair the functioning of nurses, resulting in physical and emotional trauma that may affect the quality of care they deliver. Although the effects of assaults on nurses by patients have been explored, little conceptual and empirical attention has been given to the experiences of nurses assaulted by patients in a forensic psychiatric setting. Likewise, little is known about the long-term consequences of physical and verbal assaults on nurses. This is an area of growing international concern and needs to be examined and explored. Hence, the overarching aim of this qualitative study is to explore nurses’ perspectives of their experience of patient assaults in a forensic psychiatric setting where they serve a unique population who tend to have, in addition to traditional psychiatric symptoms, diverse legal and criminogenic needs.
To facilitate the aim and objectives of the study, the constructivist grounded theory approach informed by Charmaz (2014) was used because it is flexible, inductive and interpretivist in nature. This study also draws on the traumatic memory theoretical model of Janet (1919/1925) and a conceptual model of traumatic memory theory adapted from Nadew (2005). Data were collected from assaulted psychiatric nurses (N = 14) employed within the Forensic Psychiatric Service of Western Australia using a semi-structured face-to-face interview method.
All participant interviews were audiotaped, and recordings transcribed verbatim using NVivo 10 software. The analysis of data generated nine themes: namely, nature of assaults, precursors to assaults, prisoner patients, gender-responsive care, workers compensation and patient indictments, deficiency in training, nursing staff resources and post-trauma stress. This study has found that stress after an assault ranged from mild to severe and could last for v several months. Future research that explores this phenomenon among nurses employed in acute mental health settings is recommended.
DOI
10.25958/vd7d-x752
Access Note
Access to this thesis is embargoed until 26 December 2025
Recommended Citation
Dhondea, R. (2024). A qualitative study to explore nurses perspectives of their experience associated with patient assaults in a forensic psychiatric setting: Policy and practice implications. Edith Cowan University. https://doi.org/10.25958/vd7d-x752
Comments
Author also known as Ray Dhondea