Characteristics of International Staff Victims of Psychiatric Patient Assaults: Review of Published Findings, 2000–2012

• Published in: Psychiatric quarterly Vol. 85; no. 4; pp. 397 - 404
• Main Authors: Flannery, Raymond B., Wyshak, Grace, Flannery, Georgina J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.12.2014; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Crime Victims - psychology; Crime Victims - statistics & numerical data; Databases, Factual - statistics & numerical data; Gender; Health Personnel; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental Disorders - psychology; Occupational hazards; Original Paper; Patients; Psychiatry; Public Health; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Sociology; Violence; Violence - psychology; Violence - statistics & numerical data; United States > US; Assaults; Psychiatric patients; International studies; Staff victims
• ISSN: 0033-2720; 1573-6709
• DOI: 10.1007/s11126-014-9314-6

Psychiatric patient assaults on staff are a worldwide occupational hazard that results in human suffering and dollar cost expense. International research in the 1990s documented the frequent occurrence of these assaults. This present paper reviewed the published, international literature on staff victim assaults during the first decade of the new century. The findings indicate assaults on staff remain a serious worldwide issue as it was in the 1990s, even with new policy initiatives in place meant to reduce such violence. The findings by continents and a detailed methodological inquiry are presented.