Influence of nursing staff characteristics on seclusion in acute mental health care—A prospective two-year follow-up study

Introduction<br/>Seclusion still occurs on mental health wards, despite absence of therapeutic efficacy and high risks of adverse patient effects. Literature on the effect of nursing teams, and the role of psychological characteristics in particular, on frequency of seclusion is scarce.<br/>Aim<br/>To explore the influence of demographic, professional or psychological, nursing team-level, and shift characteristics on the frequency of use of seclusion.<br/>Methods<br/>Prospective two-year follow-up study.<br/>Results<br/>We found that the probability of seclusion was lower when nursing teams with at least 75% males were on duty, compared to female only teams, odds ratio (OR = 0.283; 95% CrI 0.046–0.811). We observed a trend indicating that teams scoring higher on the openness personality dimension secluded less, (OR = 0.636; 95% CrI 0.292–1.156).<br/>Discussion<br/>Higher proportions of male nurses in teams on duty were associated with lower likelihood of seclusion. We found an indication that teams with a higher mean openness personality trait tended to seclude less. These findings, if causal, could serve as an incentive to reflect on staff mix if circumstances demand better prevention of seclusion.