Environment Contributors to Aggression in Two Forensic Psychiatric Hospitals

Abstract

Studies examining aggression in psychiatric hospitals have focused primarily on the clinical and demographic characteristics of aggressive inpatients. Contextual contributors to aggression, while often acknowledged, have less often been the focus of research. This study considered the effects of aspects of physical environment on aggression. The opportunity to examine these environmental contributors to inpatient aggression arose from the closure of a forensic psychiatric hospital, the Rosanna Forensic Psychiatry Centre in April 2000, and the transfer of its patients to the Thomas Embling Hospital, a purpose built forensic psychiatric hospital in Victoria, Australia. A review of incident forms relating to aggressive behaviors during the final two years of operation of the Rosanna Forensic Psychiatry Centre and the first two years of operation of the Thomas Embling Hospital were compared. Results revealed a similar overall rate of aggressive behaviors although differences in the rate of aggression according to type of aggression and characteristics of the victim were evident. The results provide support for the contribution of contextual contributors in aggression and highlight the need for further research in this area.