Assessment of the social atmospheres of psychiatric wards.

The development of a Ward Atmosphere Scale, which differentiates between the social atmospheres of psychiatric inpatient wards, is described. An initial form of the scale was given to patients and staff on 14 wards from Veterans Administration, state, community, private, and university hospitals. The 2nd form of the scale consists of items which significantly differentiate between wards for patients and/or staff. This form includes 12 subscales, e.g., Spontaneity, Autonomy, Affiliation, Aggression, Variety, and Support, each of which measures the emphasis on 1 dimension of ward atmosphere. Ward profiles which compare average patient perceptions of different wards have been constructed. The importance of developing measures of psychological environments and the implications relating to the matching of individual needs and environmental press were discussed.