International Journal of Mental Health Nursing最新文献

{"title":"Efficiency of AIMS: A 4-Week Recovery Oriented Suicide Prevention Pathway","authors":"Manaan Kar Ray,&nbsp;Annabelle Groth,&nbsp;Nicola Geffen,&nbsp;Melanie Gregory,&nbsp;Eliza Farley,&nbsp;Abigail Lane,&nbsp;Muthur Anand,&nbsp;Chiara Lombardo,&nbsp;Marianne Wyder","doi":"10.1111/inm.70080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70080","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The global rise in presentations to emergency departments (EDs) for suicidal crises has created significant challenges for healthcare systems. Traditional approaches often emphasise containment and risk aversion, leading to prolonged ED stays and resource-intensive inpatient admissions. A large Australian metropolitan mental health service introduced a Wellbeing Team (WBT), and trialled the recovery-oriented AIMS (assessment, intervention, monitoring, step up/down) pathway. Grounded in the PROTECT framework, its focus is on person-centred care, integrating positive risk-taking and collaborative safety planning to stabilise individuals and reduce reliance on public mental health services. This study analysed 552 people referred to the WBT over 32 months, primarily from EDs (47.1%) and acute care teams (47.5%). The population predominantly consisted of women (63.2%), with a mean age of 27.9 years. The most common diagnoses were adjustment disorders (30.4%), depressive episodes (22.3%) and emotionally unstable personality disorder (14.7%). The WBT provided tailored interventions, including motivational interviewing, safety planning, distress tolerance techniques and psychopharmacological optimisation, guided by tools like the DESPAIR safety formulation. Outcomes revealed significant system efficiencies, with only 3.8% of participants requiring ongoing public mental health support. Most participants were successfully transitioned to primary care. Six-month post-intervention data showed 76.3% of individuals with no prior public mental health involvement did not re-present, and 60.7% with prior involvement did not require further input from secondary mental health services. These findings demonstrate the efficiency of recovery-oriented care in reducing systemic pressures while fostering sustainable outcomes, underscoring the potential of short-term, intensive, structured interventions like AIMS to transform suicide prevention pathways.</p>","PeriodicalId":14007,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Mental Health Nursing","volume":"34 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/inm.70080","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144300461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unseen Battles: The Impact of War Media Exposure on Stress, Anxiety and Persistent Thinking Among Elderly Community Dwellers: A Cross-Sectional Study","authors":"Nawara Kirallah Abd El Fatah,&nbsp;Ayman Mohamed El-Ashry,&nbsp;Mahmoud Abdelwahab Khedr,&nbsp;Sageda Magdy Ali","doi":"10.1111/inm.70082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70082","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Older adults are the most susceptible group to distressing and traumatic effects from the media content; they are at a higher risk for adverse psychological effects from exposure to war-related media. However, no attention has been given to clarifying the association between war media exposure and such psychological outcomes. Investigate the impact of war media exposure on stress, anxiety and persistent thinking among elderly community dwellers. A cross-sectional correlational descriptive study was conducted on a convenience sample of 400 elderly community dwellers selected from multiple community settings. Five tools were used: demographic and clinical data of elderly community dwellers, the Arabic version of the War-Related Media Exposure Scale, War-Related Stress Scale, War Anxiety Scale and War-Related Persistent Thinking Scale. Results indicated noticeable exposure to war-related media, with most participants reporting moderate levels of stress and anxiety, as well as mild persistent thoughts. War media exposure was a significant predictor of stress (<i>β</i> = 0.462), anxiety (<i>β</i> = 0.385) and persistent thinking (<i>β</i> = 0.768). Demographic factors such as sex, age, education and living conditions also influenced psychological outcomes, with males, younger elderly, and those with higher education reporting higher distress levels. The findings highlight the vulnerability of older adults to the psychological effects of war media exposure, emphasising the need for targeted interventions to mitigate these impacts. This study underscores the importance of addressing media-related mental health challenges in elderly populations, particularly in regions affected by ongoing conflicts. This study found that exposure to war media significantly predicted higher levels of stress, anxiety and intrusive thoughts among older adults. Demographic factors also contributed to psychological vulnerability, emphasising the need for tailored nursing interventions in community settings.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14007,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Mental Health Nursing","volume":"34 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144299570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Exploration of Health Professionals' Views of Diet Intervention for Psychosis Management","authors":"Kevin Williamson,&nbsp;John Baker,&nbsp;Nicola Clibbens","doi":"10.1111/inm.70073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70073","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Psychosis has a large impact on individuals and their families and current treatment approaches are not fully efficacious. The formation and function of the brain are dependent upon nutrients, supplied through the diet. Despite this, evidence indicates that the diets of people living with psychosis are nutritionally suboptimal. The aim of this qualitative research study was to seek the views of healthcare professionals experienced in psychosis management on the role and core components of dietary intervention for psychosis management. The study was conducted following the Medical Research Council's (MRC) framework's approach to the development and evaluation of complex healthcare interventions. The data were thematically analysed and constructed into four themes: (1) ‘<i>A desire for more knowledge on diet in relation to psychosis management</i>’; (2) <i>‘Balancing duty of care around diet within services’</i>; (3) <i>‘Health Professionals' perceptions of dietary habits of people with psychosis’</i>; and (4) ‘<i>Factors to consider when developing and implementing a diet intervention for psychosis</i>’. Findings from these key stakeholders suggest value for diet intervention within psychosis management, delivered by trained health professionals within National Health Service (NHS) mental health services. The evidence-based diet intervention should be accessible to patients and should lead to the necessary dietary knowledge and skills acquisition for patients and their families. The principal recommendation following this research is to develop a diet intervention for psychosis management with additional stakeholder involvement, including NHS mental health service commissioners and academics responsible for health professionals' pre- and postregistration curricula.</p>","PeriodicalId":14007,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Mental Health Nursing","volume":"34 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/inm.70073","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144264379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"‘We Are the Cornerstone of This Hospital’: First-Hand Accounts of Expert-By-Experience Practices in Forensic Psychiatry in Finland","authors":"Katja Lumén,&nbsp;Olavi Louheranta,&nbsp;Lauri Kuosmanen","doi":"10.1111/inm.70079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70079","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Experts-by-experience can help care personnel in planning, producing and evaluating care and promoting the patient perspective in care. Patients in forensic psychiatry rarely influence core processes in hospitals, but involving them as experts-by-experience in various assignments has become a desirable way of making forensic psychiatric services more patient-centred. This is the first study to outline the forms that expert-by-experience work takes in Finnish forensic hospitals. It summarises experiences of such work from the perspectives of experts-by-experience themselves and the staff who work with them. We interviewed 19 experts-by-experience and 18 professionals who work with them to reveal the current situation of expert-by-experience activities in Finnish forensic psychiatric hospitals. We used inductive thematic analysis to explore their experiences. Our findings identify five main themes: a transformative effect, the resources as a contribution, motivation and achievement, interaction and co-operation and identification as validation. The results from this study show that a wide range of expert-by-experience tasks are assigned to current and former patients in these hospitals, but experts-by-experience have not yet gained a formal position in most of them. We identified several benefits of expert-by-experience work for different stakeholders, along with challenges to the implementation of EBE practices. We hope that this study will promote the development of expert-by-experience work in forensic psychiatric hospitals. A COREQ Checklist was applied.</p>","PeriodicalId":14007,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Mental Health Nursing","volume":"34 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/inm.70079","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144244695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors Associated With Dementia Worry Among Middle-Aged or Older Adults Living in a Japanese Community: A Cross-Sectional Study","authors":"Ayako Nakayama,&nbsp;Junko Hoshino,&nbsp;Rika Usami,&nbsp;Kaori Saeki,&nbsp;Mika Sakurai,&nbsp;Marina Takikawa,&nbsp;Naomi Furukawa","doi":"10.1111/inm.70077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70077","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Recently, dementia worry has been highlighted internationally; thus, Japan is making efforts to promote public understanding of dementia. This study clarified the factors associated with dementia worry among middle-aged or older adults living in a Japanese community. The participants completed questionnaires, including the Dementia Worry Assessment Scale and questions concerning personal attributes. We conducted a multiple regression analysis using the forced entry method, with the scale as the dependent variable and others as independent variables. A total of 299 completed questionnaires were analysed. The participants' mean age was 64.8 (±11.6) years. Univariate analysis and correlation coefficients showed that variables such as sex, bothering stress in the last year, depression severity, and number of bothering symptoms in the last year were associated with dementia worry. Multiple regression analysis reported the association between four factors—knowledge of dementia, number of bothering symptoms in the last year, depression severity and diagnosis of dementia in either or both parents—and the Dementia Worry Assessment Scale score. Specifically, more knowledge of dementia and more bothering symptoms resulted in a higher score. Moderate or severe depression and parents' diagnosis of dementia presented a higher score than those without. Nurses in the community are required to identify residents with these four factors and provide support to alleviate dementia worry. When residents experience severe dementia worry from greater knowledge of dementia, continuous education that is tailored to the individual knowledge bias should be provided by nurses.</p>","PeriodicalId":14007,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Mental Health Nursing","volume":"34 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/inm.70077","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144244486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychiatric Nurses' Compassion Fatigue, Moral Commitment, Workplace Civility, and Missed Nursing Care: The Mediating Role of Practice Environment","authors":"Larry Terence O. Cornejo,&nbsp;Rizal Angelo N. Grande,&nbsp;Daniel Joseph E. Berdida,&nbsp;Mohmmad Khalf Al-Shammari,&nbsp;Hazel N. Villagracia,&nbsp;Ibrahim Alasqah,&nbsp;Sheryl H. Ramirez,&nbsp;Carlane P. Torres,&nbsp;Modi Al-Moteri","doi":"10.1111/inm.70078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70078","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To the best of our knowledge, this study was the first to explore the moral commitment and workplace civility of psychiatric nurses working in a Middle Eastern country, as well as the mediating role of the practice environment in the associations between compassion fatigue, moral commitment, workplace civility, and missed nursing care. This cross-sectional and correlational study consecutively recruited psychiatric nurses (<i>n</i> = 207) from three government-owned mental health centers in Saudi Arabia. Five standardised scales were used to collect data from June to November 2024. Covariance-based structural equation modelling was used for data analyses. Psychiatric nurses' moral commitment had a direct, negative, and moderate influence on compassion fatigue (<i>β</i> = −0.24, <i>p</i> = 0.013), practice environment (<i>β</i> = −0.21, <i>p</i> = 0.007), and missed nursing care (<i>β</i> = −0.20, <i>p</i> = 0.008). Compassion fatigue had a direct, positive effect on the practice environment (<i>β</i> = 0.14, <i>p</i> = 0.033) but a negative, direct influence on missed nursing care (<i>β</i> = −0.28, <i>p</i> = 0.003). The practice environment directly and positively influenced missed nursing care (<i>β</i> = 0.16, <i>p</i> = 0.015). Path analyses indicated that moral commitment (<i>β</i> = −0.04, <i>p</i> = 0.027) and compassion fatigue (<i>β</i> = 0.02, <i>p</i> = 0.015) had statistically significant indirect effects on missed nursing care through the mediation of practice environment. Nurse leaders and healthcare institutions are responsible for creating an efficient practice environment for psychiatric nurses, strengthening their moral commitment while effectively managing their compassion fatigue and minimising missed nursing care.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14007,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Mental Health Nursing","volume":"34 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144244485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Significance of Lived Experience in the Work of Social Reformer and Nursing Pioneer Elizabeth Fry (1780–1845)","authors":"Toby Raeburn,&nbsp;Claire R. Chang,&nbsp;Jenny Penny,&nbsp;Matthew Ireland","doi":"10.1111/inm.70074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70074","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This historical position paper assesses the work of British social reformer and nursing pioneer, Elizabeth Fry (1780–1845). Specifically, it considers how Fry's lived experience of mental and physical ill-health is likely to have influenced her work and describes her often-overlooked pioneering contribution to contemporary mental health nursing. Evidence includes literature gathered from Cinahl, PsycInfo, PubMed and Google Scholar. Fry's memoir (1847) provided substantive context and source material was also drawn from Mary Bruin's (2005) transcription of Fry's journal. Fry experienced substantial grief and loss during childhood and text analysis of her journal entries by Miles and Huntsman (2002) has been used to contend she had dyslexia—although she lived many years before such a diagnostic label was invented. As will be shown in this paper, Fry's journal also records episodes of anxiety, depression and pulmonary and oral health problems for most of her life. This paper proposes that empathy Fry may have developed from such experiences along with her deep Christian religious values, contributed to the motivation that led her to become a tireless social reformer. Fry also made a major contribution to the foundations of modern nursing when in 1840 she established one of Britain's first nurse training schools. The success of her ‘Institute of Nursing Sisters’, led some late nineteenth century authors to regard her as the founder of British nursing. Notably, her institute trained early mental health nurses through a partnership with non-restraint proponent Dr. John Connelly's Hanwell Lunatic Asylum. She also directly influenced renowned nineteenth century North American mental health reformer Dorothea Dix. Analysis of Fry's writing offers rich insights and inspiration for nursing professionals seeking to integrate lived experience perspectives in contemporary practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":14007,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Mental Health Nursing","volume":"34 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/inm.70074","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144244696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Role of Stigma in Help-Seeking Strategies Among African Migrants in Australia: A Qualitative Study","authors":"Agness Tembo,&nbsp;Kathomi Gatwiri,&nbsp;Obed Adonteng-Kissi,&nbsp;Nnaemeka Meribe,&nbsp;Lillian Mwanri,&nbsp;Frank Darkwa Baffour,&nbsp;Edith N. Botchway-Commey,&nbsp;David Chisanga,&nbsp;Ahmed A. Moustafa,&nbsp;Samara Kim,&nbsp;Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu","doi":"10.1111/inm.70071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70071","url":null,"abstract":"<p>African migrants living in Western countries often report experiencing high levels of stress, trauma and mental health conditions due to migration-related challenges, including racial discrimination, social exclusion and economic hardships. This mixed-method study that sought to explore to This mixed-method study explored the help-seeking behaviours of Africans in Australia. The quantitative study engaged 167 participants, who completed an online survey, and the qualitative aspect involved an in-depth interview with 12 participants. This paper reports on the qualitative aspect of the study, which was seen as essential to gaining deep, rich insights into the everyday meaning-making processes of how African migrants in Australia understand and interact with mental health services. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed two strong recurring themes on mental health stigma among African migrants in Australia. The findings are discussed in two main themes: (1) judgment, shame and isolation (both communal and internalised) and (2) ‘madness’ tropes of mental health. The study highlights the critical need for culturally sensitive educational programs to address stigma and enhance mental health understanding within migrant communities, emphasising the importance of health professionals’ awareness of cultural dimensions of mental health to improve support and access to mental health services for this community.</p>","PeriodicalId":14007,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Mental Health Nursing","volume":"34 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/inm.70071","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144219967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conceptualisation of Informal Coercion in Inpatient Psychiatry: A Scoping Review","authors":"Simone Beeri,&nbsp;Eliane Baumberger,&nbsp;Sandra Zwakhalen,&nbsp;Sabine Hahn","doi":"10.1111/inm.70076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70076","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Coercion in mental health care is complex and controversial, often seen as a potential human rights violation. Coercion can manifest in various forms and is subject to ethical and legal judgement. Formal coercion includes measures restricting movement or providing treatment without consent. Informal coercion involves the use of communication and subtle interventions by mental health professionals to control, influence, manipulate or pressure patients, aiming to elicit specific behaviours and shape their decisions. Informal coercion often occurs in psychiatric care. However, it is not legislated; it is not discussed in clinical guidelines, and it is not formalised or documented. This scoping review aims to map the current understanding of informal coercion in inpatient psychiatry. Six databases were searched for studies examining definitions and conceptualisations of informal coercion. Data extraction included a summary and comparison of study characteristics, definitions and conceptualisations followed by thematic analysis using Braun and Clarke's approach. Twenty-nine articles were included in the synthesis. The analysis led to the proposal of a definition of informal coercion and identified three key themes: first, the professionals' intentions, with attributes identified as patient protection or self-protection; second, the methods used, including the attributes communication patterns, ‘legal’ coercion, deception, manipulation and abuse of power; and third, contextual factors leading to informal coercion, with attributes such as cultural adaptation, rule conformity and professionals' attitudes and skills. This study provides a conceptualisation for understanding informal coercion in inpatient psychiatry, highlighting its complexity and the need for ethical and professional reflection. Developing clear guidelines and standards is essential for protecting patient autonomy and dignity while enabling effective therapeutic interventions.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Trail Registration</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The research protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/ck3et).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":14007,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Mental Health Nursing","volume":"34 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144219963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"I Just Want to Know if I Was Safe: Views of Consumers About Sexual Safety on Acute Mental Health In-Patient Units","authors":"Michael Olasoji,&nbsp;Taylah Powell,&nbsp;Swapnali Gazula,&nbsp;Megan Layne,&nbsp;Ting Ting Hui,&nbsp;Nathan Adamson,&nbsp;Caroline Buultjens,&nbsp;Shelley Anderson,&nbsp;Sue Belmore,&nbsp;Bindu Joseph","doi":"10.1111/inm.70072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70072","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The overall aim of this study is to explore the perspectives of consumers receiving care within acute mental health (MH) inpatients about their sexual safety. Admission to an acute MH inpatient unit for consumers can be a challenging experience due to several factors. Several safety concerns about the inpatient units have been previously reported. However, there is a paucity of studies that have specifically sought the views of consumers about their sexual safety. This is an explorative descriptive qualitative study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews involving <i>n</i> = 12 consumers receiving care on a metropolitan acute mental health inpatient unit who were recruited using purposive convenience sampling. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of this study highlighted the themes of: “I don't feel safe at times”, “<i>I just want to know if I was safe</i>”, “<i>The Avoidance</i>” and <i>finding a safe space</i>, which has two subthemes of <i>stop gap measures</i> and <i>gender specific wards</i>. Participants in this study were concerned about their sexual safety while on admission to the inpatient units and wanted nursing staff to check in about their sexual safety. They noted that nursing staff would often put measures in place to maintain their sexual safety, but this was not adequate at times, and in other instances, they devised their own strategies to maintain safety. They suggested more gender-specific wards, although some did not fully support this idea. Ensuring that consumers feel sexually safe is important when it comes to the way care is delivered.</p>","PeriodicalId":14007,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Mental Health Nursing","volume":"34 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/inm.70072","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144197513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}