Reducing the Use of Physical Restraints: the Effect of Federal Legislation

Over the last 35 years, utilization of physical restraints to manage aggressive, out-of-control children & youth in mental health facilities has been increasingly scrutinized. In July of 2001 the United States federal government imposed strict new regulations following the investigation of a number of restraint-related deaths. The present study examined restraint usage at an all-male residential treatment facility for equal periods both before and after this law change. Results showed that restraint use was cut in half following the introduction of the new regulations. It is believed that many of the confounds that result from the inappropriate application of restraints were also reduced or eliminated, thus inviting a fresh analysis of restraint variables. A significant percentage of restrained subjects were found to have diagnosed learning disabilities in addition to primary diagnoses such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder & Conduct Disorder. Subjects who were restrained with a high frequency required significantly more time in treatment than infrequently restrained or non-restrained subjects.