Access to this article is restricted until 12 months after publication by request of the publisher. Restriction lift date: 2025-11-26
Staff experiences of working with children and adolescents engaging in behaviours that challenge in mental health and paediatric inpatient environments: A qualitative exploratory study across four European countries
Loading...
Files
Date
2024-11-26
Authors
Goodwin, John
O'Malley, Maria
O'Donovan, Aine
Allen, Stephanie
Curtin, Margaret
Goulding, Ryan
Groen, Gunter
Heffernan, Sinead
Ivanova, Svetla
Korhonen, Joonas
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Published Version
Abstract
There has been a recent global increase in the number of young people experiencing mental health challenges in both child and adolescent mental health settings and acute paediatric settings. In many of these settings, restrictive practices are used to manage behaviours that challenge, such as aggression and violence. However, little is known about staff’s experiences with responding to behaviours that challenge in these settings. A qualitative descriptive design was adopted, with participants engaging in 1:1 interviews or focus groups in Ireland, Finland, Germany, and Bulgaria. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes were identified: (1) the importance of establishing a safe, therapeutic environment, (2) identified antecedents to behaviours that challenge, (3) how staff respond to behaviours that challenge, and (4) the needs of staff when maintaining a safe, therapeutic environment. Consideration needs to be given to the environments where young people are cared for, with an emphasis placed on safe, comfortable, therapeutic spaces to reduce behaviours that challenge. Staff should be better trained in trauma-informed practice, and both staff and service users should be provided with opportunities to de-brief following episodes of restrictive practices, with a focus on enhancing and maintaining therapeutic relationships.
Description
Keywords
Aggression , Child and adolescent psychiatry , De-escalation , Restrictive practices , Trauma-informed care , Violence
Citation
Goodwin, J., O’Malley, M., O’Donovan, A., Allen, S., Curtin, M., Goulding, R., Groen, G., Heffernan, S., Ivanova, S., Korhonen, J., Jörns-Presentati, A., Kostadinov, K., Lalova, V., O’Mahony, J., Petrova, G., Vainioe, V. and Lahti, M. (2024) 'Staff experiences of working with children and adolescents engaging in behaviours that challenge in mental health and paediatric inpatient environments: A qualitative exploratory study across four European countries', Child Care in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2024.2407085
Link to publisher’s version
Collections
Copyright
© 2024, The Child Care in Practice Group. Published by Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Child Care in Practice on 26 November 2024, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2024.2407085