Asylum blues: Staff attitudes towards psychiatric nursing in Sarawak, East Malaysia

Author First name, Last name, Institution

S. Ashencaen Crabtree, Zayed University

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing

Publication Date

12-1-2003

Abstract

This paper draws upon findings from an ethnographic study of psychiatric service users in a psychiatric institution in Sarawak, East Malaysia. Findings focus primarily on the accounts of nursing staff in relation to attitudes towards psychiatric work and patients. These indicate that despite a rhetoric of decentralized services, a custodial 'asylum' model continues to influence the care of patients at many levels. Negative professional attitudes towards patients lead to issues of both moral and physical containment. However, an associated attitude of stigma and prejudice towards mental illness impacts upon how attractive a career in psychiatric nursing is perceived to be by respondents, subject to gender differentials.

ISSN

1351-0126

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Volume

10

Issue

6

First Page

713

Last Page

721

Disciplines

Law | Medicine and Health Sciences

Keywords

Asylum, Containment, Psychiatric patients, Psychiatric staff, Sarawak

Scopus ID

0344256570

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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