The effect of training in mindfulness and affect consciousness on the therapeutic environment for patients with psychoses: an explorative intervention study

Abstract

The ward atmosphere and the relationships between patients and staff contribute to the improvement in symptoms and psychiatric patient functioning and satisfaction. The quality of the therapeutic relationship is connected to the degree of self-reflection and self-awareness by the staff. To examine the effect of two different training programmes for healthcare professionals on the ward atmosphere in wards for psychotic patients. Exploratory intervention study with two eight-week interventions of mindfulness training and affect-consciousness training. The outcome was measured on mindfulness and on relevant subscales of the Ward Atmosphere Scale. Data were collected by means of questionnaires and analysed using paired samples t-tests and repeated measures anova. Two groups professionals (n = 27 & n = 23) participated in the study. Improvements indicated that both interventions had a positive impact on the ward atmosphere. The exploratory design and the small samples size make definitive conclusions difficult. Patient assessment on the ward atmosphere scale would have strengthened the validity of the results. The ward atmosphere in two different wards for psychotic patients improved after staff training in mindfulness or affect consciousness. There were differences in change profiles for the groups in accordance with the differences in the two interventions. We recommend awareness on the quality of the ward atmosphere in wards for psychotic patients. Both training in mindfulness and affect consciousness can support healthcare professionals in their awareness.