Investigation of the attitudes of nurses working in a training and research hospital towards forensic psychiatry patients

Investigation of the Attitudes of Nurses Working in a Training and Research Hospital towards Forensic Psychiatric Patients Objective: This study aimed to determine the attitudes of nurses working in a training and research hospital towards forensic psychiatric patients. Method: The study population consisted of nurses (N= 450) working in a training and research hospital. The study was conducted with 328 nurses chosen from the population. The data of this descriptive and cross-sectional study was collected using the Descriptive Characteristics Data Form and the Nurse's Attitude towards Forensic Psychiatric Patients Scale (NAFPPS). The statistical analysis of the study was completed with SPSS version 22.0. One-sample t-test and one-way ANOVA test were used for the variables with a normal distribution and Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskall-Wallis test were used for those which did not show a normal distribution. Results: The nurses who participated in the study work in inpatient services (57.9%) and in the intensive care unit (21.3%). The mean age of the nurses was 39.27 ± 8.39, 77.4% of them were married, 94.8% were females, and 61.9% had bachelor's degree. Among the participants, 95.1% stated that they did not know the legal regulations related to forensic psychiatry. Furthermore, 77.7% of the participants said nurses should take place in the forensic psychiatry unit. It was determined that 26.5% of the participants gave care to forensic psychiatric patients. The total mean score of the nurses who participated in the study from the Nurse's Attitude towards Forensic Psychiatric Patients Scale was 78.09 ± 6.67 (min: 62, max: 108). However, 48.8% of the participants stated that they did not receive any information.