Aims: This research was conducted to examine psychiatric nursing managers' attitudes towards containment methods.
Background: Nursing management is regarded as a key issue in the reduction of coercion and containment. However, there has been little research on managers' attitudes towards containment methods.
Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study utilized a survey design. Finnish inpatient psychiatric nursing managers (n = 90) completed the Attitudes to Containment Measures Questionnaire (ACMQ). The results were described with statistics, and the associations between attitudes and background variables were analysed using parametric tests.
Results: Psychiatric nursing managers had the most negative attitude towards net bed and mechanical restraint, and the most positive attitudes towards as necessary medication and intermittent observation. A few associations were discovered between attitudes and background variables such as gender and number of employees.
Conclusions: In general, Finnish psychiatric nursing managers' attitudes towards containment methods seem to be quite negative, but more research is needed.
Implications for nursing management: This study provides fresh and unique data on the attitudes of psychiatric nursing managers towards containment methods. Managers' attitudes are important because of their ability to encourage investment in coercion reduction by nursing staff.
Keywords: attitudes; coercion; nurse managers; psychiatric hospitals; psychiatric nursing.
© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Nursing Management published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.