A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal

A Scoping Review on Staff Attitudes towards the Use of Coercion in Mental Healthcare




AuthorsEfkemann, Simone Agnes; Lickiewicz, Jakub; Doedens, Paul; Lantta, Tella; Bali, Panagiota; Husum, Tonje Lossius

PublisherMDPI

Publishing placeBASEL

Publication year2024

JournalHealthcare

Journal name in sourceHEALTHCARE

Journal acronymHEALTHCARE-BASEL

Article number 1552

Volume12

Issue16

Number of pages16

eISSN2227-9032

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12161552

Web address https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12161552

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/457837238


Abstract
Attitudes of mental health professionals towards the use of coercion are highly relevant concerning its use coercion in mental healthcare, as mental health professionals have to weigh ethical arguments and decide within a legal frame in which situations to use coercion or not. Therefore, assessment of those attitudes is relevant for research in this field. A vital instrument to measure those attitudes towards the use of coercion is the Staff Attitude to Coercion Scale. This scoping review aims to provide a structured overview of the advantages and limitations in the assessment of attitudes toward coercion. We conducted a scoping review in Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science, based on the PRISMA-ScR. Inclusion criteria were empirical studies on the attitudes of mental health professionals. We included 80 studies and systematically mapped data about the main results and limitations in assessing attitudes toward coercion. The main results highlighted the relevance and increased interest in staff attitudes towards coercion in mental healthcare. Still, the majority of the included studies relied on a variety of different concepts and definitions concerning attitudes. The data further indicated difficulties in developing new and adapting existing assessment instruments because of the equivocal definitions of underlying concepts. To improve the research and knowledge in this area, future studies should be based on solid theoretical foundations. We identified the need for methodological changes and standardized procedures that take into account existing evidence from attitude research in social psychology, nursing science, and other relevant research fields. This would include an update of the Staff Attitude to Coercion Scale based on the limitations identified in this review.

Downloadable publication

This is an electronic reprint of the original article.
This reprint may differ from the original in pagination and typographic detail. Please cite the original version.




Funding information in the publication
The APC for this article was funded by COST Action “Fostering and Strengthening Approaches to Reducing Coercion in European Mental Health Services” (FOSTREN), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) (www.cost.eu) (accessed on 14 July 2023).


Last updated on 2025-27-01 at 19:22