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Caught between compassion and control: exploring the challenges associated with inpatient adolescent mental healthcare in an independent hospital

Matthews, H; Williamson, I; (2016) Caught between compassion and control: exploring the challenges associated with inpatient adolescent mental healthcare in an independent hospital. Journal of Advanced Nursing , 72 (5) pp. 1042-1053. 10.1111/jan.12889. Green open access

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Abstract

Aim. To extend our understanding of how healthcare assistants construct and managedemanding situations in a secure mental health setting and to explore the effects ontheir health and well-being, to provide recommendations for enhanced support.Background. Contemporary literature acknowledges high rates of occupationalstress and burnout among healthcare assistants, suggesting the context in whichthey work places them at elevated risk of physical harm and psychologicaldistress. Yet, there is a deficit of qualitative research exploring the experiences ofhealthcare assistants in adolescent inpatient facilities.Design. An exploratory multi-method qualitative approach was used to collectdata about the challenges faced by healthcare assistants working on secureadolescent mental health wards in an independent hospital during 2014.Method. Fifteen sets of data were collected. Ten participants completed diaryentries and five participants were also interviewed allowing for triangulation.Data were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis.Findings. The findings illustrated how inpatient mental healthcare is a unique anddistinctive area of nursing, where disturbing behaviour is often normalized anddetached from the outside world. Healthcare assistants often experienced tensionbetween their personal moral code which orientate them towards empathy andsupport and the emotional detachment and control expected by the organization,contributing to burnout and moral distress.Conclusions. This study yielded insights into mental health nursing andspecifically the phenomenon of moral distress. Given the ever-increasing demandfor healthcare professionals, the effects of moral distress on both the lives ofhealthcare assistants and patient care, merits further study.

Type: Article
Title: Caught between compassion and control: exploring the challenges associated with inpatient adolescent mental healthcare in an independent hospital
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1111/jan.12889
Publisher version: http://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12889
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: burnout, diaries, healthcare assistants, mental health nursing, moraldistress, phenomenology
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1561917
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