Measurement of perceived pressures in psychiatry: paper-and-pencil and computerized adaptive version of the P-PSY35 scale.

PURPOSE: Formal coercion in psychiatry is widely studied yet much less is known about pressures patients may experience, partly because of the very few measures available. The goal of this study was to validate the P-PSY35 (Pressures in Psychiatry Scale) and provide a paper-and-pencil and a computerised adaptive test (CAT) to measure pressures experienced by patients in psychiatry. METHODS: The P-PSY35 items were developed with users. Patients were evaluated during psychiatric hospitalisation or through an online survey. Mokken scale analysis and Item response theory (IRT) were used to select and estimate the items parameters. A Monte-Carlo simulation was performed to evaluate the number of items needed to transform the paper-and-pencil test into a reliable psychometric CAT. RESULTS: A total of 274 patients were assessed. The P-PSY35 demonstrated good internal validity, internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity. The P-PSY35 could be substantially shortened while maintaining excellent reliability using the CAT procedure. CONCLUSION: The P-PSY35 was developed in collaboration with users. It is a psychometrically rigorous tool designed to measure experienced pressures in French-language. The development and successful validation of the P-PSY35 represent a welcome step towards implementing and evaluating programs aimed at reducing negative consequences of coercion.

Satisfaction and Perceived Coercion in Voluntary Hospitalisations: Impact of Past Coercive Experiences.

Coercion in psychiatry is associated with several detrimental effects, including in the long term. The effect of past experience of coercion on the perception of subsequent hospitalisations remains less studied. The present study aimed to assess the impact of past experience of coercion on the perception of coercion and satisfaction with subsequent voluntary hospitalisations. A total of 140 patients who were hospitalised on a voluntary basis were included. Fifty-three patients experienced coercion before this hospitalisation and 87 did not. Patients were assessed for treatment satisfaction and perceived coercion. Health status was also evaluated by both patients and carers. Past experience of coercion was the independent variable. Perceived coercion and satisfaction scores were used as different dependent variables in a series of regression models. Results suggested a long-term detrimental impact of past experience of coercion on some aspects of satisfaction and perceived coercion in subsequent voluntary hospitalisations even when controlling for self and carers-rated health status. Overall, this study suggests that special attention should be paid to patients who are voluntarily admitted to hospital but have a history of coercion, as they may still be impacted by their past coercive experiences. Ways to increase satisfaction and reduce perceived coercion of these patients are discussed.