Exploring the use of seclusion and restraint with deaf psychiatric patients: comparisons with hearing patients

Archival data of seclusion and restraint events in a group of deaf adults (n = 30) was compared with a random sample of hearing adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) (n = 30) and a random sample of hearing adults without ID (n = 51) admitted to a state hospital from 1998 to 2008. Only 12% of the hearing non-ID group experienced a seclusion or restraint versus 43% of the deaf group. The ID group also showed significantly higher rates of seclusion and restraint than the hearing non-ID group (30 vs. 12%). Patients in the deaf and ID group were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with impulse control disorders (23 and 23%, respectively), which may have contributed to the higher utilization of seclusion and restraint procedures in these groups. Deafness-related cultural and linguistic variables that impact the use of seclusion and restraint are reviewed.