Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39929507›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Antecedents to aggression and the use of coercive measures in inpatient mental health settings: a scoping review protocol.

Njål Herman E Sterri, Øyvind Lockertsen, Tonje Lossius Husum, Veronica Lockertsen, Johan Siqveland, Mette Senneseth

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Njål Herman E SterriDivision of Mental Health and Addiction, Regional Centre for Research and Education in Forensic Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway njste8229@oslomet.no.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6809-7468
Øyvind LockertsenDivision of Mental Health and Addiction, Regional Centre for Research and Education in Forensic Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2762-262X
Tonje Lossius HusumFaculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0151-1262
Veronica LockertsenFaculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway.
Johan SiqvelandR&D Department, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Akershus University Hospital, Akershus University Hospital, Lorenskog, Norway.
Mette SennesethCentre for Research and Education in Forensic Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo investigate the antecedents to episodes of aggression and the use of coercive measures in inpatient mental health settings, organize and explore their relationships and patterns through thematic analysis, identify gaps in the literature and provide insights for future research.

introductionThe use of coercive measures in inpatient mental health settings remains controversial and ethically challenging. Despite an international consensus on the need to reduce their use, the antecedents to aggression and episodes involving coercive measures remain insufficiently explored. This review seeks to address this gap by systematically mapping the evidence of these antecedents and exploring their relationship, providing a foundation for future research. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies included were those published from 2014 to the present in the English language, focusing on either adult mental health inpatients or mental healthcare professionals aged 18 years or older involved in episodes of aggression or exposure to coercive measures in both acute and long-term inpatient mental health settings. Included studies must address antecedents to aggression or the use of coercive measures. Exclusions apply to studies focusing exclusively on behaviours unrelated to aggression or coercive measures, studies conducted in non-inpatient settings and those involving child, adolescent, geriatric or forensic populations.

methodsThe review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. The search strategy will cover key databases, including Ovid Medline, APA PsycINFO and Scopus, with reference list screening to ensure comprehensive coverage. Initial exploratory searches were conducted in June 2024, with the formal searches updated in January 2025. Studies will be screened against the inclusion criteria, and data will be extracted using a standardised form adapted to the review objectives. Grey literature will be excluded, focusing on peer-reviewed evidence. The analysis will include descriptive mapping of the antecedents to aggression and the use of coercive measures, supplemented by thematic analysis to organize and explore patterns and relationships between them. Results will be presented in a descriptive summary, supported by thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required since this study uses existing published literature. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant international conferences.

Indexed as

AggressionCoercionHospitals, PsychiatricInpatientsMental DisordersHumansResearch DesignScoping Reviews as TopicMENTAL HEALTHPSYCHIATRYReview

Identifiers

PMID39929507
PMCPMC11815474

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.