Vogt, K. S., Baker, J. orcid.org/0000-0001-9985-9875, Morys-Edge, M. et al. (3 more authors) (2025) ‘I Think the First Priority is Physically Safe First, Before You Can Actually Get Psychologically Safe’: Staff Perspectives on Psychological Safety in Inpatient Mental Health Settings. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 32 (2). pp. 276-287. ISSN 1351-0126
Abstract
Introduction
While the concept of psychological safety has been gaining momentum, research concerning psychological safety in inpatient mental health wards is lacking.
Aim
To investigate how psychological safety is conceptualised by healthcare staff in inpatient mental health units, and what barriers and facilitators exist.
Method
Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to analyse 12 interviews.
Results
Participants conceptualised psychological safety as feeling safe from physical harm, being able to develop meaningful relationships and feeling valued at work. Participants often did not feel physically safe at work, which led them to feel psychologically unsafe. Barriers to psychological safety were reliance on agency workers, punitive management approaches and the inherent risk in working with mental health inpatients. Facilitators included appropriate staffing ratios and skill mix, being able to form meaningful relationships and having access to support.
Discussion
The emphasis on the physical safety element within psychological safety means that existing definitions of psychological safety require extension for the mental healthcare context. However, large-scale research is needed to further understand experiences of psychological safety in this group.
Implications for Practice
A better understanding of the dimensions of psychological safety in inpatient mental health settings could support the development of tools to investigate psychological safety interventions. Organisations could support psychological safety through regular staff supervision and improved staffing ratios and skill mix.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | qualitative methodology, quality of care, safety and security, staff perceptions, staffing/resources |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Healthcare (Leeds) > Nursing Mental Health (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number NIHR National Inst Health Research M24387 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 17 Sep 2024 13:46 |
Last Modified: | 27 Mar 2025 09:44 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/jpm.13101 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:217310 |