International Journal of Mental Health Nursing最新文献

Locked entry and exit doors are common on contemporary mental health inpatient units, with previous research suggesting clinicians believe they reduce the risks of absconding, prevent the importation of illicit substances, and reduce aggression. However, this focus on reducing risk is at the cost of therapeutic relationships, resulting in mental health consumer perception that mental health units are punitive and create a custodial feel. The aim of this paper is to describe nurses' experiences of using locked doors on mental health inpatient units to prevent consumers absconding. We used a Qualitative Descriptive approach, with semi-structured interviews conducted with 15 Australian mental health nurses. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) method of thematic analysis and reported in accordance with the Consolidated Checklist for Reporting Qualitative Data (CORE-Q guidelines). Three themes emerged during data analysis: (1) Locked doors and absconding: Nurse perceptions, (2) Smoking as a driver of absconding, and (3) Locked in and lashing out: Aggression linked to door locking. Participants in this study expressed that locking doors was necessary to prevent absconding. However, they also felt that door locking was restrictive and detrimental to the therapeutic relationship. There is a need to examine the impact of locked doors on the mental health nursing role, in addition to enhancing nursing skills in risk assessment, shared decision making, and ways to enhance the therapeutic relationship and milieu of the ward.

Student placements are crucial for health professional education, developing practical skills with academic studies and preparing students for the workforce. In rural mental health settings, these placements offer unique learning opportunities, but there is a recognised need for more placements in these areas. This study explored the experiences of health students and health professionals participating in a rural community mental health placement. Using an interpretive phenomenological design, the research focused on participants' sense-making of their placement experiences, which emphasised the significance and impact of these placements. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 students and five host site staff in 2023 and 2024. Using interpretive phenomenological analysis, four themes were created: (1) entering the growth zone, (2) positive shifts in learning, (3) direct contact creates authenticity and impact, and (4) professional investment and returns. The findings highlight the importance of intentionally designing and implementing mental health placements to maximise their benefits. This paper provides evidence that scaffolded student learning, which incorporates direct contact with consumers in authentic mental health placements, should be prioritised and encouraged across health disciplines.

Lived experience leadership is essential for reforming the mental health sector. However, deep-rooted barriers, such as entrenched mindsets and existing power structures, block the potential for lived experience perspectives to be leveraged for change. The aim of this paper is to critically examine the dominance of hierarchies that continue to marginalise lived experience roles and impede the advancement and authority of these roles in leadership and lived experience-led approaches. It emphasises the need to challenge systemic clinical authority and disrupt the prevailing dominance of the medical model in order to fully harness lived expertise, driving reforms and the creation of non-clinical alternatives.

Transitioning to mental health nursing can be stressful for nurses new to the specialty, who need to develop relevant knowledge and skills to provide evidence-based care and psychosocial interventions to people experiencing mental distress. Nurses may feel overwhelmed and under-supported in their transition role, with potential for low retention. A scoping review was conducted with the aim to explore and synthesise evidence on transitioning nurses' career choice, experiences and psychosocial and work-related outcomes in the first 2 years of mental health practice and identify gaps in knowledge for future research. The systematic search process resulted in 17 empirical articles from eight countries, with a total sample of n = 436 transition nurses. Career choice influences included prior experience with mental health and wanting to reduce stigma and make a difference to care. Nurses initially experienced the shock of transitioning and grappled with the realities of the work, with most adjusting to their roles over time. Overall, there was high retention (88.3%–97.1%), low turnover intention and moderate-high work/job satisfaction, moderate levels of perceived stress and moderate-high wellbeing, resilience and coping self-efficacy. Gaps in knowledge for further research include longitudinal cohort studies investigating wellbeing and work-related outcomes. Evaluation research is needed on effective multi-level initiatives to enhance transition nurses' wellbeing, resilience and workplace belonging, reduce stigma, build professional identity and strengthen their nursing knowledge, confidence and skills. Recommendations include placing nurses in lower acuity settings early in transition, continued efforts to reduce workplace violence, trauma-informed self-care, and provision of structured transition programs and clinical supervision.

Workplace cyberbullying is a growing issue that raises serious public health concerns due to its potential for physical and emotional harm. Previous studies on workplace bullying in the healthcare industry have mainly focused on traditional bullying or explored cyberbullying's effect in specific regions or demographic groups. This study aims to systematically review the prevalence, antecedents and consequences of workplace cyberbullying among healthcare workers. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines, four academic databases (i.e., Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and EBSCO) were systematically searched on July 31, 2025. Data were extracted on cyberbullying characteristics, classification, prevalence, antecedents and consequences. Out of 821 studies, 21 were eligible for inclusion. The study's results indicate that victimisation rates of workplace cyberbullying among healthcare workers range from 1.5% to 46.6%, with an incidence rate of workplace cyberincivility of 36.8% for nurses. Drawing on the Social-Ecological Model and Organisational Conflict Theory, the antecedents of workplace cyberbullying among healthcare workers can be classified at the individual, organisational and social levels. Consequences include personal and work-related outcomes. This systematic review suggests that the prevalence of workplace cyberbullying among healthcare workers is highly variable and that uniform standards and tools are needed for its measurement. The identified antecedents and consequences are specific and complex, requiring targeted interventions to prevent and manage cyberbullying in healthcare settings.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of workplace violence (WPV) and burnout among healthcare professionals (HCPs) in a regional setting and to examine the relationship between exposure to violence, burnout dimensions and professional attitudes. The study was conducted with a sample of 310 HCPs selected from a population of 930 using a nonprobability sampling method. Data were collected through a socio-demographic and research-specific questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Scale (MBS) and the Professional Attitudes at Occupation Inventory (PAOI). The mean age of participants was 29.71 ± 4.9 years. Among them, 51.9% reported being exposed to WPV, primarily verbal. Following violence, 72.2% experienced a decrease in work motivation and 83.3% received no managerial support. Age showed a weak negative correlation with all MBS sub-dimensions and a weak positive correlation with PAOI. A significant moderate negative correlation was found between PAOI and emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP) and personal failure (PF). EE and DP were notably higher among those considering leaving the profession due to violence. WPV poses a significant threat to the psychological well-being and professionalism of HCPs. Effective institutional policies—such as accessible violence reporting systems, managerial support, structured emotional management training and AI-based stress monitoring tools—can reduce burnout and strengthen professional identity. Leadership commitment and legal reforms, including stricter penalties for violence, are critical to creating safe, supportive and sustainable healthcare environments. The use of a convenience sampling method limits the generalisability of the findings to the broader healthcare professional population.