Clinician experiences of administering the Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES) in a forensic intellectual disability service
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AMHID-06-2014-0024 |
| Date | 02 March 2015 |
| Published date | 02 March 2015 |
| Pages | 70-78 |
| Author | Verity Chester,Julia McCathie,Marian Quinn,Lucy Ryan,Jason Popple,Camilla Loveridge,Jamie Spall |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Learning & intellectual disabilities,Accounting education |
Clinician experiences of administering
the Essen Climate Evaluation Schema
(EssenCES) in a forensic intellectual
disability service
Verity Chester, Julia McCathie, Marian Quinn, Lucy Ryan, Jason Popple, Camilla Loveridge
and Jamie Spall
Verity Chester is a Research
Assistant and Julia McCathie is
a Clinical Audit and Contracts
Facilitator, both are based at
Partnerships in Care Learning
Disability Services, Diss, UK.
Dr Marian Quinn is a Clinical
Psychologist, based at Child
and Adolescent Mental Health
Service (CAMHS), Freshney
Green Primary Care Centre,
Grimsby, UK.
Lucy Ryan is an Assistant
Psychologist and Jason
Popple is a Group Facilitator,
both are based at Partnerships
in Care Learning Disability
Services, Diss, UK.
Camilla Loveridge is a Trainee
Clinical Psychologist, based at
University of East Anglia,
Norwich, UK.
Jamie Spall is an Assistant
Psychologist, based at
Partnerships in Care Learning
Disability Services, Diss, UK.
Abstract
Purpose – Social climate (ward atmosphere) affects numerous treatment outcomes. The most commonly
used measure is the Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES) (Schalast et al., 2008). Though studies
have investigated the psychometric properties of EssenCES in intellectual disability populations, few have
focused on the clinical utility, or accessibility of the measure. The purpose of this paper is to examine
clinician’s experiences of using this measure with this population.
Design/methodology/approach – Clinicians experienced in administering EssenCES with forensic
intellectual disability patients completed an open-ended questionnaire, which sought qualitative data
on their experiences of using EssenCES with this population. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings – A number of issues were raised regarding use of EssenCES with patients with intellectual
disability. Four overarching themes arose: Understanding of Language, Commenting on Others,
Understanding of Likert Scale, and Scale Positives and Adaptation. Clinicians felt certain items were not
uniformly understood by all patients, particularly those that incorporated abstract concepts, double
negatives, or complex language.
Originality/value – Results suggest forensic intellectual disability patients vary in their ability to understand
EssenCES items. This resulted in significant further explanation by the administering clinician, a practice
which raised concern regarding reliability. Results provide preliminary evidence to indicate EssenCES use
requires further consideration in intellectual disability services, or adaptation for this client group.
Keywords Forensic, EssenCES, Ward atmosphere, Intellectualdisability, Learning disability, Social climate
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Ward atmosphere, or social climate, has been defined as the notion that psychiatric settings
have a particular “per sonality” or “feel” to them ( Schalast and Groenew ald, 2009),
encompassing their material, social, and emotional conditions (Moos, 1989). Over time,
social climate may influence the mood, behaviour, and self-concept of people in that
environment (Schalast et al., 2008). Social climate is significantly associated with various clinical
and service outcomes (Tonkin et al., 2012), including patient and staff satisfaction, institutional
violence and frequency of assaults on staff, staff performance and morale, and treatment
outcomes, such as attitudes toward offending, treatment dropout, motivation and engagement
in treatment, and the therapeutic relationship. Therefore measuring social climate is of interest in
many mental health settings. Measures of social climate can highlight areas of strengths and
weakness, facilitate comparisons between wards and levels of security, and highlight
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ADVANCES IN MENTAL HEALTH AND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
j
VOL. 9 NO. 2 2015, pp. 70-78, CEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2044-1282 DOI 10.1108/AMHID-06-2014-0024
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