Objective: The use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) in psychiatric wards aims to enhance security but raises ethical and therapeutic concerns. Existing literature often assumes its benefits without sufficient input from patients, particularly those with psychiatric disorders, prompting the need for further investigation into patients’ perspectives. This study aimed to assess psychiatric inpatients’ attitudes toward newly installed CCTV cameras in a teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran, and to examine whether psychiatric symptomatology influences these attitudes.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 100 adult inpatients who had been admitted for at least two weeks. Participants completed a demographics questionnaire, a newly developed CCTV Attitude Survey (CAS) by our team, measuring attitudes in three domains (Nursing Performance, Ward Environment, and Security Assurance), and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) to identify psychiatric symptoms.
Results: Overall positive attitude was 35.4%. Security Assurance had the highest positivity score (41.4%), followed by Ward Environment (36.1%) and Nursing Performance (32.5%). No significant differences in attitudes emerged by gender, education, marital status, or the presence of psychiatric symptomatology as measured by SCL-90-R.
Discussion: Patients expressed moderate acceptance of CCTV, primarily valuing enhanced safety. However, the benefits regarding ward climate and nursing performance were less pronounced. Future guidelines should balance the perceived security advantages with ethical considerations of privacy and therapeutic engagement.