The restraint spiral: emergent themes in the perceptions of the physical restraint of juveniles.

This qualitative investigation explores the experiences of both children who were physically restrained in a juvenile facility and that of the adult professionals who restrained them. Among the major themes identified were the rationalizations of safety and noncompliance for restraint use by the adults. Children associated fear, anger, and retraumatization with the experience of being restrained. Both the children who were restrained and the adults who restrained them identified lingering emotional and behavioral postrestraint effects. Restraint incidents were found to follow a predictable 10-layered behavioral spiral. Implications for practice and further research are explored.