RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Emotional Responses of Staff to Assault in a Pediatric State Hospital
JF Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
JO J Am Acad Psychiatry Law
FD American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
SP 360
OP 368
VO 36
IS 3
A1 Eileen P. Ryan
A1 Jeffrey Aaron
A1 Mandi L. Burnette
A1 Janet Warren
A1 Roger Burket
A1 Theresa Aaron
YR 2008
UL http://jaapl.org/content/36/3/360.abstract
AB In this study, we examined the emotional responses of staff to patient-on-staff assault at a state inpatient psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents. Staff (n = 93) completed self-report measures assessing general psychiatric functioning and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Staff assaulted by patients in the past six months (n = 59) were compared with those who had not been assaulted (n = 34). Direct-care staff were more likely to be assaulted than were other staff. Assaulted staff were more likely to report prior nonsexual assault by a stranger, higher anxiety, more somatic concerns, greater vulnerability and lack of control, and higher levels of impairment at work and were more likely to consider terminating employment than were non-assaulted staff. Our cross-sectional data suggest several differences in assaulted versus non-assaulted staff. Further studies are needed to determine whether differences in anxiety and traumatic events precede assaults or represent antecedent risk factors for being assaulted.