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Accessible summary What is known on the subject? There is a growing body of evidence that many people with an autism spectrum condition suffer anxiety in their daily life and a realization among practitioners that admission to a mental health unit for this population is usually a negative anxiety-inducing experience., Anxiety is driven by the intolerance of uncertainty that is being unsure of what is going to happen, how long the uncertainty will exist and the insistence of sameness which, when compromised, can be anxiety provoking. Equally, confusion in understanding personal emotional responses and those of others is a source of anxiety., What this paper adds to existing knowledge? This paper builds upon existing understanding of anxiety as a causative factor of mental ill-health for people with an autism spectrum condition., Specifically, this paper explores the potentially anxiety-inducing experience of mental health unit admission; how anxiety is felt, triggered, expressed and managed., What are the implications for practice? As many different anxiety responses could be exhibited during hospitalization, including violent acts and self-harming, for mental health practitioners working in the inpatient units, it is essential that the thoughts, feelings and responses of the patient with an autistic spectrum condition (ASC) are better understood and that support offered during their stay in a mental health facility is from an informed position., Abstract Background This qualitative study explored how mental health inpatients with autistic spectrum conditions (ASCs) experience and cope with anxiety when admitted to an acute mental health inpatient facility in the United Kingdom. Anxiety is a common characteristic for people who live with ASCs and whilst a plethora of studies on anxiety in this population is published which correlate anxiety with mental health service experience, little is known about the actual triggers of anxiety and its manifestations. This study adds to a body of evidence which considers anxiety experienced by people with autism. The rationale for this study includes the need to heighten mental health practitioners' understanding, of the responses, motivations to engage and support required to overcome fears and anxieties when admitted to a mental health inpatient unit. Method The study used a qualitative naturalistic research design, to explore the emotional and psychological experiences of being a mental health inpatient living with an ASC. During 2015-2017. audio-recorded semistructured interviews captured the experiences of 20 adults from the east of England who were former psychiatric inpatients with an established diagnosis of ASC. Interpretative phenomenological analysis enabled the identification of broad themes which explained in rich detail, participant reflections regarding the situations and events within the acute care mental health facility that triggered their anxiety, manifestations of anxiety and responses to their anxiety. Findings Broad response patterns were identified that could be associated with their anxiety that is isolating themselves from others, including patients and staff, ceasing to eat and sleep adequately and all too often self-harming or exhibiting aggressive and violent responses. Conclusions The anxiety caused by the physical environment appears to be overlooked by mental health practitioners so attention to anxiety-inducing encounters is needed when planning acute care mental health service improvement and research is required to clearly understand the experiences of this vulnerable group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: What is known on the subject?: The strength of a relationship between people with mental health difficulties and professionals has been linked to patients feeling suicidal. A relationship has been found between how defeated and trapped people with mental health difficulties feel and how suicidal they feel. What this paper adds to existing knowledge?: This study explored the relationship between alliance, suicidality, defeat and entrapment in people admitted to mental health wards as previous research has focused on people in the community. Patient‐rated defeat, entrapment and suicidality are related in this sample of people admitted to mental health wards. A relationship was found between how well nurses said they bonded with their named patient and how trapped the patients felt by their environment. What are the implications for practice?: Nurses should consider if patients are feeling defeated or trapped when helping people with mental health difficulties to feel less suicidal. Abstract: Introduction: Suicidality is prevalent worldwide, particularly in people who access mental health services. The quality of therapeutic alliance between people with mental health difficulties and staff has been associated with suicidality but only in community settings. Defeat and entrapment are correlated with suicidality and may mediate any relationship between alliance and suicidality. Therefore, this exploratory study explored these relationships in people admitted to mental health wards. Aim: To explore defeat, entrapment, suicidality and alliance between nurses and people admitted to mental health wards. Method: Fifty inpatient nurse–patient dyads completed questionnaires regarding demographics, defeat, entrapment, suicidality and alliance with their named nurse. Nurses completed questionnaires on demographics, alliance with their patient and the patients’ suicidality. Results: Defeat, entrapment and suicidality were correlated. A correlation between nurse‐rated bond and external entrapment was found, but no other correlations between alliance, defeat, entrapment and suicidality were statistically significant. Discussion and clinical implications: Ward‐based nurses should consider the relationship between defeat, entrapment and suicidality when developing interventions to improve suicidality. Although there was no evidence of a relationship between total alliance and suicidality, developing closer bonds with patients may reduce patients’ feelings of being trapped by their environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]