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Adolescent elopement from a psychiatric hospital. Multiple dimensions
W H Sledge1, C L Benarroche, S H Phillips
1Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06519.
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
|September 1, 1988
Summary
This study investigated adolescent psychiatric elopements, finding patient history and therapist separations were key factors. The single case study method effectively analyzed these complex sociopsychological processes within the hospital milieu.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Sociology
- Psychology
Background:
- An unusual epidemic of elopement from an adolescent psychiatric ward was observed.
- The study aimed to demonstrate the utility of the single case study method, using the hospital ward as the unit of analysis.
Observation:
- Elopement occurrences were systematically recorded and analyzed.
- Patient factors and patient-therapist interaction dynamics were central to the observation.
Findings:
- Elopement was significantly associated with the absence of an affective disorder diagnosis and a history of prior psychiatric treatment elopement.
- Separations from treatment team members emerged as a critical patient-therapist interaction factor.
- Both patient and interaction factors appeared to interact with the ward's milieu.
Implications:
- The single case study method is effective for examining complex, multi-level sociopsychological processes in psychiatric settings.
- Understanding patient and interactional factors can inform strategies to prevent elopement in adolescent psychiatric care.
- This research highlights the importance of milieu in patient behavior and treatment adherence.