Influence of meteorological conditions on the use of coercive interventions

Aggressive behavior in psychiatric care is a serious problem. The causes of aggression may be ambiguous, including behaviors gender, age, or atmosphere on the ward. Other risk factors, usually not mentioned, include meteorological conditions, such as air temperature and humidity, pressure or wind. The available literature suggests a link between meteorological conditions and the use of coercive interventions in psychiatric care. In this study, we examined meteorological conditions that correlated with an increased number of cases of aggressive behavior leading to coercive interventions. The relationships between the studied variables were determined using linear correlation tests and cluster analysis. The study draws on coercive intervention records from The Józef Babiánski Psychiatric Hospital in Krakow, spanning 27 months. The hospital’s seventeen in-patient treatment wards, six day-care centers, nine community treatment teams, and six outpatient clinics have a capacity of 790 patients. Among patients who were susceptible to weather changes, specific weather types were identified as being related to more cases of aggressive behavior.