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Use of the timeout procedure in a child psychiatry inpatient milieu: combining dynamic and behavioral approaches
P Kennedy1, M J Kupst, G Westman
1Department of Child Psychiatry, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois.
Insights
Child psychiatry timeouts showed low negative behavior during the intervention and processing phases. Effective processing after timeouts is crucial for positive outcomes in inpatient settings.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Behavioral Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Timeouts are a common behavioral intervention in child psychiatry inpatient settings.
- Understanding the efficacy and application of timeouts is essential for therapeutic success.
- Observational data on naturally occurring timeouts are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To observe and analyze naturally occurring timeouts in a child psychiatry inpatient milieu.
- To assess child behavior during different phases of the timeout process.
- To describe staff behavior and the role of post-timeout processing.
Main Methods:
- Observational study design.
- Data collection over a three-month period.
- Assessment of nine children undergoing timeouts.
Main Results:
- Child negative behavior was generally low during timeout, processing, and return to activity.
- Individual results were analyzed based on diagnosis and unit events.
- Staff behavior during timeouts was documented.
- The importance of processing following timeouts was highlighted.
Conclusions:
- Naturally occurring timeouts in this setting were associated with low child negative behavior.
- Post-timeout processing is a critical component for effective intervention.
- Further research into optimizing timeout and processing strategies is warranted.
Abstract:
An observational study of naturally-occurring timeouts was conducted in a child psychiatry inpatient milieu over a three-month period. Data from nine children were assessed. Child negative behavior was generally low in the timeout, processing, and return to activity phases. Results from individuals were discussed in terms of their diagnosis and events taking place on the unit. Staff behavior during timeouts were also described. The crucial role of processing after the timeout was discussed.