A prospective study of assault against staff by youths in a state psychiatric hospital.

Objective: This study examined the frequency and nature of violence directed at staff in a state inpatient psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents.

Methods: A total of 215 assaults that occurred over a two-month period were examined by using information obtained from staff at the time of the assault and from the hospital database. Assaults were analyzed for situational characteristics of the incidents as well as the characteristics that best differentiated between assaultive and nonassaultive patients.