Ethnicity and the use of Coercive Measures in Mental Health Inpatient Settings: A scoping review

Introduction: In recent years, health authorities, researchers and clinicians have called for improving clinical mental health practice by reducing the use of coercive measures, such as physical restraint, mechanical restraint, seclusion and involuntary medication. Nevertheless, coercive measures are still widely used in mental healthcare settings and inpatients with ethnic minority background seems to be particularly vulnerable, as the patient population appears to be subject to more coercion in some countries than the majority patient population. However, the research area is characterised by a lack of consensus and continuity, e.g. the distinguish of inpatients’ ethnicity, which might affect transferability and reliability.

Aim: The aim of this study is to review the existing research literature on adult inpatients’ ethnicity associated with the use of coercive measures in mental health settings.

Methods: A scoping review inspired by the methodological framework by Arksey and O’Malley (2005), and further developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (2020) was performed. A systematic literature search was conducted in CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO and Embase and two researchers independently, performed a systematic selection process. Additional searches for grey literature and in the reference lists were conducted. Included studies were analysed, using numerical analysis and thematic organisation.

Expected outcomes: An overview of the characteristics (i.e. year of publication, journal focus, study design and methods, country of origin, mental healthcare setting and inpatients’ ethnicity) of the included studies, and the use of coercive measures (i.e. physical restraint, mechanical restraint, seclusion and involuntary medication) in relation to inpatients’ ethnicity.