'Komitet Redakcyjno - Wydawniczy Polskiego Towarzystwa Psychiatrycznego'
Doi
Abstract
Background and objectives: Psychiatric hospitals are unique in character. In their work the personnel frequently encounter aggression on the part of patients and their families. A difficulty in describing the impact of aggression on the quality of care lies in the fact that countries differ in terms of their approach to treatment, education systems, as well as the standards and algorithms of dealing with aggression that occur within a health care facility. The objective of the present study was to find out whether there are any differences in the attitudes and perception of patients’ aggression prevalent amongst groups of personnel from Poland and Norway. This issue has yet to be discussed in the subject literature; however, it should be assumed that such differences exist, so the question pertains to their direction and intensity. Methods: Two tools were used to identify the attitudes of the medical personnel towards aggression: POAS (Perception of Aggression Scale) and ATAS (Attitudes Towards Aggression Scale). The research comprised 280 people – the personnel of psychiatric wards from the psychiatric hospital in Bergen, Norway (n= 140 ) and from the psychiatric hospitals in Żurawica and Jarosław in Poland (n= 140 ). Results: Statistically significant differences were demonstrated between the attitudes and perception of aggression by the medical personnel in Poland and in Norway (p> 0.001). The Norwegian personnel more frequently perceive aggression as positive behaviour, associated with the protection of one’s own territory. On the other hand, the Polish staff more often regard aggression as negative, offensive and intrusive behaviour. Conclusions: The perception of aggression towards the medical staff of psychiatric wards in Poland and Norway differs
