THE WARD ATMOSPHERE IN ACUTE PSYCHIATRIC UNITS WITH AND WITHOUT SEGREGATION OF SEXES

The segregation of sexes in an acute psychiatric unit was followed up by means of a research survey. Patients and staff members were questio ned about the ward climate before and after changing the admission pro cedure. The male patients merely noticed a decreased influence of sexu al problems on the ward atmosphere. The female patients evaluated the new ward for women as an improvement. In particular, assistance and cl arity of conditions were more positively assessed. The staff members o f the previous open ward noticed a significant increase in annoyance a nd aggression after closing the ward and segregation of the sexes. In general, segregation of the sexes did not result in deterioration of t he ward atmosphere.