Nurses'perceptions regarding types of aggressive behaviour displayed by patients in a selected psychiatric hospital in Lesotho

Abstract

Aggressive behaviour of inpatients in mental health facilities occurs globally and is a serious nursing problem. Consequently, there is insufficient research studies conducted among nurses regarding the types of aggressive behaviour displayed by patients in psychiatric institutions. The purpose of this study was to determine nurses’ perceptions regarding the types of aggressive behaviour displayed by patients in a selected psychiatric hospital in Lesotho. A quantitative descriptive survey was used to collect data from 119 nurses who were selected by quota sampling. The data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire, analysed by using SPSS (version 25), and displayed by using tables, frequencies, standard deviations, means and Pearson’s chi-square test. The findings reported that the types of aggressive behaviour included verbal aggression (86%, n = 103), physical aggression against objects (79%, n = 94), physical aggression against self (65.5%, n = 78), and physical aggression against other people (81.5%, n = 97). This study concludes that the perceptions of the nurses were positively inclined towards violent behaviour displayed by patients. The study recommends that nurses be equipped with comprehensive psychiatric skills and information to enable them to manage and cope with patients’ aggression.