Aggressive behavior of psychiatric patients and nursing staff management

Abstract

Objective This study was to examine the prevalence rate of aggressive behavior for psychiatric patients and nursing staff’ s management.  
Materials and methods The samples were 20 psychiatric in-patients who had a history of aggressive behavior before or during the periods of the therapy at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and 12 nursing staff during 10th  February - 10th  April 2012. The tools were the observational checklist for the aggressive behavior and Yudofsky et al ’s staff management. The data were analyzed by using percentile, mean, and standard deviation.  
Results The study was revealed that the prevalence rate of aggressive behavior for psychiatric patients was 42.5%. The majority of aggressive behavior patients were verbal aggression, the others were physical aggression against themselves, other people and objects, respectively. Management of aggres-sive behavior, mostly was to talk with the patients, the others were restraint and closely observation. To talk with the patients suited for the verbal aggressive patients. To observe the patients closely’s required for the patients, who physical against themselves. The patients who physical against others required the medication injection and restraint. The restraint mostly suited for the physical against object patients. 
Conclusion The prevalence rate of aggressive behavior for psychiatric patients were often found  in  King  Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.  We  had  different  Nursing  staff’s  management, depending on the severity of psychiatric patients’ aggressive behavior.