FORM

Background

One of the main aims of forensic psychiatric care is to work systematically and evidence-based with violence prevention, since many patients within forensic psychiatry have a history of violence. However, there is a lack of knowledge on best practice in violence prevention in forensic psychiatry, especially regarding interventions actively involving the patients themselves.

Purpose

FORM evaluates a new method for structured violence risk management in forensic psychiatric patients that is currently in use in several forensic psychiatric care units in Sweden.

Methods

The method entails a structured violence risk management plan being developed by the patient in collaboration with staff. To evaluate if the method affects the occurrence of violence in forensic psychiatric patients, and the contents of the forensic psychiatric care, we will compare patients where this method is used (cases, n=100) to patients where this method is not used (controls, n=100). Both quantitative and qualitative methods will be applied in analyses of the data.

We will also interview patients (n=30) and staff (n=30) concerning how they work with violence prevention, and their experiences of this work. A case-control design will be used, comparing the experiences of patients and staff when the structured violence risk management method is used (cases, n=15 each for patients and staff) to the experiences of patients and staff when this method is not used (controls, n=15 each for patients and staff).

Results

The project is in an upstart phase.

Significance

FORM will contribute knowledge on violence prevention in forensic psychiatry, and how user involvement in this can affect the occurrence of violence and content of the treatment.

Work plan
Data collection 2020-2022, peer-review publications 2022-2025.

Principal investigator
Märta Wallinius, Assoc. Prof.

Research group
PhD student: Johan Berlin

Collaborating researchers
Thomas Nilsson, Assoc. Prof.

Malin Hildebrand Karlén, PhD

Collaborators
Linnaeus University

Lund university

Centre for Ethics, Law, and Mental Health, Gothenburg university

Regional Forensic Psychiatric Clinic Växjö, Sweden

Regional Forensic Psychiatric Clinic Vadstena, Sweden

Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

Funding
Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, Dnr. 2018-01409.