The Heyman Survey of nursing employees' attitudes towards mechanical restraints in Slovenia

Introduction: Attitudes of nursing employees towards mechanical restraint are directly connected to their incidence. The purpose of this research was to examine the attitudes of psychiatric nursing staff towards the use and administration of mechanical restraints.Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using a structured Heyman-type survey. All the Slovenian nursing staff in psychiatric hospitals participated on a given day (n = 367).Results: Differences were observed in the average duration of administered mechanical restraint between individual hospitals (χ2 = 43.770, p < 0.001). Staff most often stated that patients felt angry when subjected to mechanical restraint (n = 328, 89.4 %). Nonetheless, the majority of respondents believe that mechanical restraints can be an effective therapeutic tool (n = 343, 91.6 %). Females (U = 11450.50, p = 0.025) and with higher education (U = 9527.00, p = 0.002) experience statistically significantly more negative emotions and are less inclined to use mechanical restraints.Discussion and conclusion: It is evident that in addition to the factors we researched some other factors are more influential when the incidences of coercive measures are closely studied. Due to some variation between hospitals it would be advisable to review the current clinical practices in this field. The management of health institutions should be considered an essential factor in the efforts to decrease mechanical restraint use.

Association of the Five-Factor Model personality traits and opioid addiction treatment outcome

Many patients with opioid addiction continue to use opioids during and after treatment, and their career of drug taking is usually punctuated by repeated treatment admissions and relapses. Personality traits are considered risk factors for drug use, and, in turn, the psychoactive substances impact individuals' traits. The most widely used system of traits is called the Five-Factor Model (FFM). Studies have shown that persons who use heroin are consistently depicted as high on Neuroticism and higher Extroversion, also they are described as more impulsive and less sociable. Those who maintain abstinence are characterized by a higher Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Treatment programs for opioid addiction vary substantially in treatment processes, and an early identification of patients traits that address their strengths and weaknesses within specific treatment settings could be useful in decreasing the possibility of relapse.

Association between patient's personality traits and outcome of hospital treatment of opioid addiction

Introduction

Despite different treatment approaches many drug addicted patients continue to use drugs during and after treatment.

Objectives

Personality traits are considered risk factors for drug use, and, in turn, the psychoactive substances impact individuals’ traits.

Aims

To describe the sample of 186 opioid addicted patients entered hospital treatment and assessing the differences in personality traits between abstinent and non-abstinent after one year.

Methods

A cohort of 186 patients consecutively admitted to the detoxification unit was investigated. The research interview, the Big Five Inventory (BFI), the Treatment Outcomes Profile (TOP) were administered during the first week of admission to the detoxification unit. Urine test was administered on the day of admission and at each follow-up point in combination with the TOP (after three, six and twelve months). Illicit drugs abstinence during one year after intake was selected as a treatment outcome measure.

Results

Twelve months after admission 82 (44.9%) patients abstained completely. Agreeable patients remain in treatment longer (r = 0.20, P = 0.07). Extraversion and openness are negatively correlated with abstinence after six and twelve months (r = –0.15, P = 0.041; r = –0.15, P = 0.044). Neuroticism is in negative correlation with duration of treatment (r = –0.20, P = 0.006). Patients who are less open to new experiences are more likely to abstain from drugs 6 months after admission (r = –0.17, P = 0.021).

Conclusion

Personality measured with BFI correlates with treatment outcome poorly. At the same time personality could have an important role in responding to treatment, but personality traits could be at the same time protective as well as risk factors.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.