Does relational security in forensic units predict ward incidents?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does relational security (i.e., the way patients and staff work together) in forensic psychiatric units predict ward incidents and long term treatment outcome?
IRAS ID
149263
Contact name
Lara Arsuffi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham, Research Support Group
Research summary
Some research suggests that the way clients and staff interact on forensic psychiatric wards may predict incidents on the ward and treatment outcomes. The way staff and clients work together has recently been named “relational security”. The Department of Health has issued guidelines on relational security, which stress that relationships between staff and patients must be safe, professional, therapeutic and purposeful, with understood limits.
Other literature suggests that forensic institutions need to become secure “bases” where clients are taught more positive ways to express themselves and relate to others. This can be achieved if different levels of security (physical, procedural and relational security) are provided. Within these safe environments, clients’ risk behaviours can be safely contained and worked through.
However, no formal research in this area has been conducted. Hence this study aims to investigate if relational security is indeed related to risk incidents in forensic psychiatric institutions.
In addition, as research on ward environments in psychiatric institutions has highlighted that the social atmosphere of treatment settings is an important factor influencing treatment outcomes, this research aims to explore if relational security is also related to treatment outcomes, as measured by long term risk assessment scores.
This study will ask participants to complete three questionnaires taking 30 minutes to complete. Data about clients' progress and risk-related behaviours will be extracted from existing databases.
Participants will be adult male forensic psychiatric inpatients residing in various forensic settings. Staff in these units will also be recruited to take part in the research and they will be asked to complete three questionnaires.
Why is this research useful? If it is found that relational security can be used to predict clients' risk-related behaviours and treatment outcomes, this information could be used by ward managers to explore in what areas to focus staff training, in order to improve relational security in their units. Thus, these findings may be useful for improving services within forensic psychiatric units. Improving services provided to forensic psychiatric inpatients would have an impact on the community as a whole by hopefully reducing incidents of victimisation.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EM/1018
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jun 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion