Abstract
This study investigated the ward atmosphere of a psychiatric work rehabilitation unit and its relationships to clients' satisfaction with the unit and client motivation, operationalised as proneness to set personal goals for their rehabilitation. The Community-oriented Programs Environment Scale was used and 52 clients participated. Their report of the ward atmosphere was in accordance with recommended levels on 5 sub-scales out of 10. A regression analysis revealed that optimal levels of order-and-organization and support were of importance for satisfaction with the unit. An optimal level of support was associated with a high rating of personal goals. This study added two therapeutically interesting factors—satisfaction and motivation—to the flora of factors that have been related to perceptions of the ward atmosphere.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Arnsten, S. (1990). Intrinsic motivation. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 44, 462–463.
Berthaume, B., Bailey, D. M., Horowitz, B., & McCrory, M. V. (1994). Cost and intensity of care in case managers'referrals to psychiatric day programs. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 45, 62–65.
Björkman, T., Hansson, L., Svensson, B., & Berglund I. (1996). What is important in psychiatric outpatient care? Quality of Care from the Patient's Perspective. International Journal of Quality in Health Care, 7, 335–362.
Dishman, R. K., & Ickes, W. (1981). Self-motivation and adherence to therapeutic exercise. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4, 421–438.
Doble, S. (1988). Intrinsic motivation and clinical practice: The key to understanding the unmotivated patient. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 55, 75–81.
Eklund, M., & Hansson, L. (1995). Features of the ward atmosphere in a psychiatric day care unit based on occupational therapy. A comparative study. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2, 76–84.
Eklund, M., & Hansson, L. (1997). Relationships between characteristics of the ward atmosphere and treatment outcome in a psychiatric day care unit based on occupational therapy. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 95, 329–335.
Eklund, M. & Hansson, L. (2000). Ward atmosphere changes after implementation of a new rehabilitation model in a psychiatric work rehabilitation unit. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Ellsworth, R. B. (1983). Characteristics of effective treatment milieus. In J. G. Gunderson, O. A. Will, & L. R. Mosher (Eds.), Principles and practice of milieu therapy (pp. 87–123). New York and London: Jason Aronson.
Friis, S. (1984). The Ward Atmosphere:AClinical Crucial Dimension of Inpatient Settings. Measurements, Clinical Relevance, and Some Influencing Factors. An Empirical Study. Doctoral dissertation, Oslo University, Psychiatric department B, Oslo, Norway.
Friis, S. (1986). Characteristics of a good ward atmosphere. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 74, 469–473.
Geelen, R. J. G., & Soons, P. H. G. (1996). Rehabilitation: An ‘everyday’ motivation model. Patient Education and Counseling, 28, 69–77.
Hansson, L., & Höglund, E. (1995). Patient satisfaction with psychiatric services. The development, reliability, and validity of two patient-satisfaction questionnaires for use in inpatient and outpatient settings. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 49, 257–262.
Klass, D. B., Growe, G. A, & Strizich, M. (1977). Ward treatment milieu and post-hospital functioning. Archives of General Psychiatry, 34, 1047–1052.
Larsen, D.L., Attkisson, C.C., Hargreaves, W.A., & Nguyen, T.D. (1979). Assessment of client/ patient satisfaction: development of a general scale. Evaluation and Program Planning, 2, 197–207.
Melle, I., Friis, S., Hauff, E., Island, T. K., Lorentzen, S., & Vaglum, P. (1996). The importance of ward atmosphere in inpatient treatment of schizophrenia on short-term units. Psychiatric Services, 47, 721–726.
Moos, R. H. (1988). Community-oriented programs environment scale (2nd ed.). Palo Alto [CA]: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Moos, R., Shelton, R., & Petty, C. (1973). Perceived ward climate and treatment outcome. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 82, 291–298.
Vaglum, P., & Friis, S. (1985). Milieu therapy in the long-term treatment of functional psychoses: needed areas of research. In T. Helgason (Ed.), The long-term treatment of functional psychoses (pp. 89–101). Cambridge: University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Eklund, M., Hansson, L. Ward Atmosphere, Client Satisfaction, and Client Motivation in a Psychiatric Work Rehabilitation Unit. Community Ment Health J 37, 169–177 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002765800180
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002765800180