Experienced coercion during psychiatric hospitalisation: key factors and intervention strategies
Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Background: In mental health care, experienced coercion refers to the patient’s subjective feeling of being coerced. During psychiatric hospitalisation, this feeling is only partially due to the use of formal coercive measures. However, research frequently equates experienced coercion with formal coercion, resulting in significant gaps in its understanding. This thesis aims to address these gaps by exploring experienced coercion during both voluntary and involuntary psychiatric admission, and to develop tailored strategies to mitigate its adverse effects. Methods: This aim was pursued through four studies. Study 1 synthesised qualitative evidence on patients’ experienced coercion during voluntary and involuntary psychiatric admission. Study 2 adopted a qualitative design to address the gaps detected in the scientific literature and to identify the key factors that, from the patients’ perspectives, affected their experience. Study 3 investigated the interaction between these factors to identify the most significant ones. Finally, Study 4 assessed the feasibility and acceptability of the Brief Case Management intervention developed to counterbalance the negative impact of coercion and foster patients’ personal recovery. Results: Studies 1, 2 and 3 supported a multidimensional conceptualisation of experienced coercion, showing that it is affected more by time-specific relational and contextual factors than by formal coercion itself. Study 4 demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of addressing these factors through recovery-oriented strategies from the onset of the hospitalisation, highlighting the potential of such interventions to mitigate the adverse effects of coercion, even when it cannot be avoided. Conclusion: This PhD thesis contributes to deepening the understanding of experienced coercion during hospital admission, pointing to important implications for clinical practice and underscoring the need for a systemic shift towards more ethical, person-centred and recovery oriented mental health services.
Source: IRIS
Author: Benedetta, Silva
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7149875030