Women in Forensic Mental Health Services: Lived Experiences and Meanings Attributed to Activities in Rehabilitation Programs. Study Protocol

Abstract

Design: Qualitative methodology, with an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach based on the analysis of the contents of the participants’ narratives. Objective: The main objective of this study is to interpret the meanings women attribute to lived experiences related to their participation in activities in the rehabilitation programs. Specific objectives: (1) To describe the meanings given to the activities in the rehabilitation programs of a forensic mental health setting. (2) To analyze the impact on health that participants attribute to those activities. (3) To identify possible situations of occupational deprivation. Study Population and Total Number of Participants: The study population is made up of women who participate in the rehabilitation program at Hospital Psiquiátrico Penitenciario de Alicante in Spain. The number of participants is established when saturation of data is reached.

Just Like a Woman: Gender Role Stereotypes in Forensic Psychiatry

“…There has been considerable debate about how best to provide gender sensitive care in forensic settings ( 86 , 87 ). There seems to be some consensus that care and treatment needs to be segregated by sex ( 88 ); and services that have seen mixed sex services have also had reports of boundary violations between staff and patients, abuse of female patients by male patients and a lack of dignity for females in secure care ( 89 ).…”