Incidents of aggression in German psychiatric hospitals: Is there an increase?

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

In a meta-analysis of international studies, 17% of admitted patients in psychiatric hospitals had exhibited violent behavior toward others. Reported data from studies in Germany were considerably lower until recent years. However, studies examining only single hospitals, as well as the quality of the data itself, have raised questions as to the validity of these findings. Indeed, a debate currently exists as to whether there has, in fact, been an increase of violent incidents in German mental institutions.

Methods

In a group of 10 hospitals serving about half the population of the Federal State of Baden-Wuerttemberg with 11 million inhabitants, the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised (SOAS-R) was introduced into patients' electronic charts as part of rou

SUBMITTER: Eisele F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7785246 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature