Comparison of Staff's and Patients' Perceptions of Ward Atmosphere

Abstract

This study examined client and staff perceptions of ward atmosphere on a residential psychiatric unit. 24 clients were asked to respond to the Ward Atmosphere Scale with standard instructions. In addition, 20 staff members were requested to respond to the scale under two conditions of assessment: staff self-ratings reflecting their own perceptions of ward atmosphere characteristics and staff predictions of how the “typical patient” would respond to the items. Analyses of variance and subsequent tests demonstrated significant differences between the three assessment conditions on nine of the 10 subscales. In particular, findings show treatment staff tend to under- and overestimate patient's responses in consistent patterns. Results were interpreted as supporting the use of the scale as an instrument to assess individuals' predictions of others' responses and demonstrating important discrepancies between patients' and staff's perceptions of characteristics of the same residential treatment unit.