Perceived coercion in mental health care

Thesis

While decreasing coercion is an important objective of mental health policy and clinical practice, empirical research investigating perceptions of coercion has been limited. This thesis investigated patients’ and clinicians’ perceptions of coercion in mental health care. It aimed to: determine the levels of perceived coercion experienced by patients and clinicians during psychiatric hospital admissions; investigate the perceptions of coercion in patients receiving care from community mental health teams; and use qualitative thematic analysis to gain a better understanding of patients’ experiences during the hospitalization process.

The results indicated that there was great variation in the levels of coercion perceived by patients and clinicians. Perceptions of coercion were not associated with sociodemographic characteristics. Instead, they were most influenced by individuals’ experiences during the process. In all of the situations studied, high levels of perceived coercion were associated with either the experience of negative pressure or with the experience of little procedural justice. Both patient and clinician perceptions of coercion may be reduced by improving communication during the psychiatric decision making process.

Further quantitative and qualitative research is required to aid in the development of interventions for reducing high levels of perceived coercion and to determine the consequences of feeling coerced into mental health care.

Authors: Sheehan, KA

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-vek97dpgg
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford