A qualitative synthesis of patients' experiences of re‐traumatization in acute mental health inpatient settings
Authors: Hennessy Brid , Hunter Andrew , Grealish Annmarie 
Published: December 2022

Accessible summary

What is known on the subject?

Research indicates many people accessing mental healthcare have trauma history and often experience re‐traumatization in acute mental health inpatient settings.

Treatment for trauma is not routinely explored as a treatment option in mental health inpatient settings and consequently mental health professionals do not draw connections between the person with trauma history and their presenting mental health problems.

What this paper adds to existing knowledge?

People in acute mental health inpatient units are not asked about their previous trauma histories on admission and their trauma history is not taken into consideration during interventions in particular coercive practices such as seclusion, restraint, forced medication, and involuntary admission.

This paper provides an understanding on how to address trauma‐related issues within in‐patient settings and identifies practical examples of how to reduce the risk of re‐traumatization.

What are the implications for practice?

Staff induction and training development needs can be used to help mental health professionals to be more confident and competent in assessing and identifying the history of trauma so that they can improve recognition, provide post‐disclosure support, and avoid the potential for re‐traumatization for inpatients.

Physical environments need to be welcoming, homely, and have comfortable furnishing. They also require adequate space for inpatients to move around freely and have a quiet space to go to de‐escalate themselves when required.

Introduction

Rates of re‐traumatization among mentally ill‐health patients have risen significantly over the past decade and clinical guidelines place mental health nurses at the heart of their care.

Aim

To gather, analyse, and synthesize the evidence on people's experiences on re‐traumatization in acute mental health inpatient settings.

Method

A systematic search for qualitative studies (CINAHL, MEDLINE, ASSIA, PsycINFO, and EMBASE) was conducted. Two authors independently assessed eligibility and appraised methodological quality using Joanna Briggs's quality appraisal tool and extracted data. The analysis followed the principles of interpretative synthesis.

Results

Fourteen papers were included for thematic synthesis. Three themes emerged: (1) Quality of staff interaction; (2) Specific interventions, (Sub‐theme nature of symptoms); and (3) Nature of the environment.

Discussion

Our findings demonstrate that patients are experiencing re‐traumatization in acute mental health inpatient settings and that there is little being done to prevent it from occurring.

Implications for Practice

This study is the first to analyse the factors that contribute to re‐traumatization and make recommendations to mental healthcare professionals to reduce the harmful practices in place in inpatient settings. It is suggested that training staff in trauma‐informed care and allowing patients to be experts in their own care can reduce the rates of re‐traumatization.