User violence in mental health services: Adaptation of an instrument. Healthcare-workers’ Aggressive Behavior Scale-Users-Mental Health Version (HABS-U-MH)

BACKGROUND/OBJETIVE: According to the World Health Organization, one out of every four violent workplace acts takes place in the health setting. The aims of the study are to adapt the Healthcare-workers’ Aggressive Behavior Scale-Users (HABS-U) to mental health professionals, to establish the frequency of exposure to hostile indicators and to determine which professional group is most exposed. METHOD: Study through qualitative and quantitative methodology in MH professionals of the Region of Murcia (Spain). In the qualitative phase, 12 in-depth interviews were conducted, and during the quantitative phase, the instrument was applied to 359 professionals of Mental Health Services (MHS). RESULTS: Non-medical and nursing staff were found to be the professional group most exposed, as well as Brief Psychiatric Inpatient and Medium-Stay Inpatient Services. CONCLUSION: The resulting scale shows excellent psychometric properties. The distribution of user violence is not homogeneous among the different professional groups of MHS. The adaptation of the scale may be useful to detect user violence, as well as to evaluate the efficacy of intervention programs.