Participants
The sample was comprised of all patients (n ¼ 82) and nurses
(n ¼ 80) from three mental health wards: a psychiatric
intensive care unit, a high dependency ward and an acute
ward. The patient sample included male (n ¼ 40) and female
(n ¼ 42) participants illnesses ranging from chronic schizo-
phrenia to depressive disorders. Their length of admission at
the time of investigation spanned from 1 week to 6 months.
A small number had been inpatients for over a year. The
majority of nurses were female (n ¼ 61) and their experience
ranged from 1 to 8 years. Three were ward managers, 10
were charge nurses, 35 were staff nurses and 32 were nursing
assistants. A representative subsample of participants from
each ward was later interviewed (n ¼ 10).