Abstract
A psychiatric unit that is characterized by rapid staff and patient turnover was studied longitudinally on four occasions at 6-week intervals, using measures of ward atmosphere, ward activities, perception of patients, and population characteristics. Although the ward did show a great deal of change demographically, perceptions of it were highly stable for patient and staff groups. It was further shown that, in addition to stable perceptions of specific activities or aspects of the milieu, there were also broader underlying perceptual dimensions that were consistent across time. Stable staff-versus-patient and intra-staff differences in perceptions were also found. The results are discussed in terms of the factors that might contribute to the maintenance of such a stable environment, and in terms of the importance of attending to individual variations in perceptions of ward atmosphere.
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