Survey of staff attitudes towards restrictive practices on mental health inpatient wards

Overuse of restrictive practices in inpatient mental health wards remains a national concern. Identifying individual mindsets related to the approval of restrictive practices may guide effective intervention for services and promote better patient safety. A survey was conducted on nursing and healthcare staff working on mental health inpatient wards in the UK. A total of 106 staff completed an online questionnaire including the Elsom Therapeutic Optimism Scale (ETOS), Attitudes Towards Containment Measures Questionnaire (ACMQ), and Mental Illness: Clinician’s Attitudes scale (MICA). Demographic information, as well as work experience and personal experience with mental illness, was also collected. The study found that attitudes towards containment measures were significantly related to age, gender, years of work experience, therapeutic optimism, educational attainment and personal experience with mental illness. Educational attainment was also positively correlated with therapeutic optimism. Stigmatising attitudes were negatively correlated with therapeutic optimism. Further research investigating how these attitudes are formed, maintained, and modified can guide interventions to reduce the use of restrictive practices.