The Essen Climate Evaluation Schema – EssenCES E-Book

• Herausgeber: Hogrefe Publishing
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 118

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

The social atmosphere in forensic hospitals and prisons is crucial to their success – this "manual and more" shows how to assess the climate and identify ways of improving it. The social climate in settings such as forensic psychiatric hospitals and prisons is crucial to their success. The Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES) described here is a short, well-validated questionnaire that measures three essential facets of an institution's social atmosphere. An overview of the EssenCES is followed by detailed advice on how to administer and score it and how to interpret findings, as well as reference norms from various countries and types of institutions. The EssenCES "manual and more" is thus a highly useful tool for researchers, clinicians, and service managers working in forensic settings.

Leseprobe

EssenCES

The Essen Climate Evaluation Schema EssenCES

A manual and more

Norbert Schalast & Matthew Tonkin (Eds.)

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication information for the print version of this book is available via the Library of Congress Marc Database under the LC Control Number 2015955231

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

The Essen climate evaluation schema EssenCES : a manual and more / Norbert Schalast & Matthew Tonkin, eds.

Includes bibliographical references.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-0-88937-481-2 (paperback).--ISBN 978-1-61676-481-4 (pdf).--

ISBN 978-1-61334-481-1 (html)

1. Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES). 2. Interpersonal relations--Testing. 3. Institutional care--Social aspects--Testing. 4. Institutional care--Psychological aspects--Testing. I. Schalast, Norbert, editor II. Tonkin, Matthew, editor

HM1106.E86 2015

158.2

C2015-907185-2C2015-907186-0

© 2016 by Hogrefe Publishing

http://www.hogrefe.com

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Format: EPUB

ISBN 978-0-88937-481-2 (print) • ISBN 978-1-61676-481-4 (PDF) • ISBN 978-1-61334-481-1 (EPUB)

http://doi.org/10.1027/00481-000

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Preface

Designed as a quick and easy tool to help assess the essential traits of the social and therapeutic atmosphere in forensic psychiatric settings (subsequently expanded for use in correctional facilities), the Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES) was originally developed and first published in Germany. It has since been translated into a number of other languages and been included in a considerable number of studies, among them a broad validation study in the UK. Following this study and the UK Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) initiating the regular use of the scale in forensic psychiatric services in the UK, we have received a large number of enquiries regarding support in using the scale and interpreting its findings. In particular, many researchers and clinicians have requested reference norms that would allow them to compare the EssenCES scores obtained in their particular unit/service with the scores obtained in other settings.

This manual aims to respond to these enquiries. It outlines the background and the concept of the instrument and discusses the variety of ways in which the EssenCES might be used to support research and practice within forensic services. It also includes considerations regarding the limitations of previous studies that have utilised the concept of social climate and a discussion of how the contribution of climate evaluations might be further improved in the future.

Given the assumable differences between correctional (i.e., prison) settings and forensic psychiatric hospital (i.e., healthcare) settings in terms of function and resident demographics (such as mental health diagnosis), the statistical norms in this volume are presented separately for each setting. The statistical norms for healthcare settings are based on assessments of the social climate of 79 wards in forensic psychiatric hospitals (33 in the UK and 46 in Germany) made by hundreds of patients and staff. (In addition, we were able to include a data set from a current German project in calculating the normative values presented in the appendix, see p. 85) The statistical norms for correctional settings are based on data from 30 prison units (16 in the UK and 14 in Germany). Furthermore, thanks to the kind assistance of the Singapore Prison Service and Corrections Victoria, Australia, data from these countries are also presented.

While this manual presents statistical norms for the EssenCES, one may debate whether these samples are representative of the settings from which they were drawn, bearing in mind that the real sample size in social climate research is not the number of individual patients, prisoners or staff who complete a questionnaire but the number of units/wings/wards considered. From the editors’ point of view, generating significant norms – notably for specific subgroups of institutions – is still a work in progress.

The EssenCES is used by two very different groups of professionals, whose varying interests we have considered carefully in designing this manual: the general staff of psychiatric and correctional institutions on the one hand, and academic staff and researchers familiar with psychometrics on the other hand. The manual tries to meet the needs of both groups. Most notably, Chapter 3 details the basics of handling and evaluating a questionnaire and using the EssenCES in practice, and a glossary explains statistical terms in a straightforward and accessible manner. Other chapters discuss psychometric properties, referring to a number of concepts in psychological test theory and its statistical procedures.

Whether or not to include EssenCES total scores in the manual was a matter of considerable debate. In the recent literature presenting EssenCES findings, total score statistics have usually been provided. However, the original idea of the EssenCES was not to provide a single, overall measure of the social climate but, instead, to identify a small number of dimensions that would obviously be relevant to measuring and describing climate in a wide range of settings. In discussing a ward’s or institution’s climate assessment, it is better to refer to these specific profiles than to a total score. Therefore, the manual does not provide total score statistics and does not encourage the use of EssenCES total scores.That said, researchers who still want to explore and discuss the significance and validity of EssenCES total scores may contact us for a compilation of total score statistics from validation studies discussed in this manual.

We hope that this manual proves useful to our readers and encourage user feedback – we’ll be happy to receive any comments, criticism, or additional data that might help further develop the measure. Feel free to e-mail us: [email protected] or [email protected].

Norbert Schalast & Matthew Tonkin

Acknowledgments

The editors express their gratitude to Prof. Andrew Day and Dr. Sharon Casey, Deakin University, Australia, who communicated the data from Singapore Prison Service and Corrections Victoria, Australia, and contributed to this manual. They also thank Dr. Mark Freestone, who reviewed early drafts of this manual.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

1Overview

Norbert Schalast & Matthew Tonkin

Aims and Background of the EssenCES

Versions of the EssenCES and Web Information

Research and Publications

Objective of This Manual

2Conceptual Framework

Norbert Schalast

Measuring Social Climate

Plausibility of the EssenCES Dimensions

Are Three Dimensions Sufficient?

3Administration and Scoring

Matthew Tonkin

Introduction

Why Should the EssenCES Be Used?

Who Should Complete an EssenCES Questionnaire?

Is the EssenCES Questionnaire Appropriate for Everybody?

How Should the EssenCES Be Administered to Staff and Residents?

How Many Completed EssenCES Questionnaires Are Needed for an Assessment?

What to Do With the EssenCES Questionnaires Once They Have Been Completed?

4Interpretation and Feedback

Matthew Tonkin, Andrew Day, Sharon Casey, and Norbert Schalast

A Description of the Normative Samples Used

Normative Statistics for the EssenCES

Interpretative Guidelines for the EssenCES

5Psychometric Properties

Matthew Tonkin, Andrew Day, Sharon Casey, and Norbert Schalast

Basic Psychometric Properties of the EssenCES in Forensic Psychiatric Hospital Settings

Basic Psychometric Properties of the EssenCES in Prison Settings

Conclusion

6Lessons Learnt From Past Studies and Directions for Future Research

Norbert Schalast

Limitations of Past Social Climate Research

The Importance of Covering Heterogeneous Conditions in a Survey

Evaluating Social Climate Scores on a Ward (or Wing) Level

On Meaningful Deployment of the EssenCES in Social Climate Research

Multiple Determinants of the Social Climate

Conclusion

7Fostering the Social Climate in Secure Settings

Norbert Schalast and Birgit Völlm

Research on Improving the Social Climate of Wards and Units

Difficult Environments

Using the EssenCES Dimensions to Consider Ways of Fostering the Environment

Facilitating the Discussion of Ward Climate Issues

Conclusion

8References

9Appendix

Appendix Contents

10Contributors

[1]1

Overview

Norbert Schalast & Matthew Tonkin

Aims and Background of the EssenCES

The Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES) is a short questionnaire, originally developed for assessing essential traits of the social and therapeutic atmosphere of forensic psychiatric wards, which is a crucial factor for the health and well-being of both staff and patients as well as the outcome of interventions. Beginning in 1993, different sets of questionnaire items were evaluated in a series of studies. The aim was to identify independent social climate traits stable across different settings and samples. The questionnaire was intended to be shorter and more economical than the well-known Ward Atmosphere Scale (WAS; Moos, 1996; Moos & Houts, 1968), with a simpler and more stable trait structure (see Chapter 2). The outcome of this process was a 15-item instrument (with an additional opening and concluding item that are not scored), that became the Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES). It measures three dimensions of the social climate:

Therapeutic Hold

Patients’ Cohesion and Mutual Support, and

Experienced Safety (vs. the threat of aggression and violence).

[2]Versions of the EssenCES and Web Information

The EssenCES was originally developed for use in forensic psychiatric wards, i.e., hospital environments. It has since been modified for additional use in correctional and prison settings, requiring only minor adaptions of wordings (such as “wing” instead of “ward,” “inmate” instead of “patient,” etc.). For correctional settings, the climate dimensions are, respectively, labelled

Hold and Support,

Inmates’ Cohesion, and

Experienced Safety.

Translations have further expanded the scope of EssenCES use. The instrument is now available in a number of European and non-European languages, including (but not limited to) Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, and Japanese. These versions and additional information are available for download from the website of the Institute of Forensic Psychiatry in Essen, Germany (www.forensik-essen.de).

One and the same questionnaire is used for all individuals involved in the climate evaluation, i.e., both staff and patients (or inmates/prisoners), facilitating the comparison of assessments by these two groups in any setting.

Research and Publications

In Germany, a validation study was conducted in 2007, that included 46 wards within 17 forensic mental hospitals (Schalast, 2008; Schalast, Redies, Collins, Stacey, & Howells, 2008). Patients and staff completed the EssenCES as well as other questionnaires, among them the WAS and a Good Milieu Index (Friis, 1986; Røssberg & Friis, 2003a). Problematic occurrences (such as drug use relapses, threatening face-offs, willful damage to property, etc.) were listed and counted on each ward over a period of three weeks. The intended three-factor structure of the instrument was clearly confirmed and high correlation coefficients supported the subscales’ validity (see Chapter 5).

A comparably comprehensive study was later conducted in the UK (see Tonkin et al., 2012). Data were collected from 33 wards within forensic psychiatric hospitals, but also from 16 wings across 4 prison services. Findings provided further support for the instrument’s psychometric qualities (see Chapter 5).

Since these validation studies, research applying the EssenCES has grown rapidly, partly due to the scale having been adopted by a large number of forensic healthcare services across the UK as part of the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) framework, which initiated the regular use of the scale in[3] forensic services in the UK. A list of publications referring to EssenCES data is presented on the EssenCES website.

Objective of This Manual

Since the publication of the validation study and the initiation of regular use of the scale in forensic services in the UK, the EssenCES project has received a large number of enquiries regarding support in using the scale and interpreting its findings. In particular, many researchers and clinicians have requested reference norms that would allow them to compare the EssenCES scores obtained in their particular unit/service with the scores obtained in other settings.

This manual tries to respond to these enquiries, as well as providing an overview of the theoretical underpinnings, structure, development, testing, and application of the EssenCES, which will be of value to both clinicians and researchers. Chapter 2 explains the conceptual/theoretical framework underpinning the EssenCES. Chapter 3 provides a plain and practical synopsis of points to consider when applying the questionnaire and scoring and interpreting data. Chapters 4 and 5 offer specific guidance for interpreting EssenCES data from clinical or correctional settings and explain the use of statistical norms presented in the Appendix. In Chapter 6