BACKGROUND: Aggression management trainings for staff have been implemented in many organizations of mental health care and disability care. The efficacy of such programmes has rarely been analysed. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted which contains all published evaluation studies on aggression management trainings. Inclusion criteria were before-and-after-comparisons or control group designs. RESULTS: 39 published studies were included. Study quality has to be regarded as low. Concerning the results of the studies, no clear trend emerged in direction of minimising violent incidents. However, studies revealed clear positive effects on knowledge about violence and on staff's confidence to cope with difficult situations. CONCLUSIONS: Sensitisation effects in staff after getting trained probably lead to reporting bias. Although the results on the number of violent incidents remain unclear, it is recommended to conduct comprehensive aggression management trainings in mental health and disability care institutions.
BACKGROUND:Aggression management trainings for staff have been implemented in many organizations of mental health care and disability care. The efficacy of such programmes has rarely been analysed. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted which contains all published evaluation studies on aggression management trainings. Inclusion criteria were before-and-after-comparisons or control group designs. RESULTS: 39 published studies were included. Study quality has to be regarded as low. Concerning the results of the studies, no clear trend emerged in direction of minimising violent incidents. However, studies revealed clear positive effects on knowledge about violence and on staff's confidence to cope with difficult situations. CONCLUSIONS: Sensitisation effects in staff after getting trained probably lead to reporting bias. Although the results on the number of violent incidents remain unclear, it is recommended to conduct comprehensive aggression management trainings in mental health and disability care institutions.