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Being restrained: a study of power and powerlessness
1Rush University College of Nursing, Armour Academic Center, Chicago, IL 60612-3832, USA.
Issues in Mental Health Nursing
|July 14, 1998
Summary
This study explores the lived experience of psychiatric patients subjected to physical restraints. Findings reveal that the primary theme emerging from their accounts is the profound impact of power dynamics during restraint.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Previous restraint research focused on frequency, patient profiles, and behavioral triggers.
- Limited studies investigated the subjective impact of restraint on patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the meaning of the restraint experience for psychiatric patients.
- To understand the patient's perspective on being physically restrained.
Main Methods:
- Unstructured interviews with 10 psychiatric patients who experienced leather restraints.
- Analysis using a modified eight-stage interpretive process rooted in Heideggerian phenomenology.
Main Results:
- The central theme identified was the experience of power dynamics during restraint.
- Patients' narratives highlighted the subjective impact of physical restraint.
Conclusions:
- The study underscores the significance of power in the patient's experience of restraint.
- Further research should focus on the patient's perspective to inform restraint practices.
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