Abstract
Instances of fatal suicide in prison continue to rise. A loss of hope
has been linked to suicide risk, yet the concept of hope in prison
is not well understood. The aim of this study was to gain an
insight into a multidisciplinary health care team’s understanding of
the concept of hope when working with suicidal prisoners.
Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 13 members of
a multidisciplinary health care team at a category B male prison,
and 7 participants additionally attended a focus group. The data
was then thematically analysed. Three themes emerged from
the analysis: a diverse understanding of the concept of hope,
hope as a protective factor from suicide, and prison is a unique
environment. These insights acknowledge hope as a key factor
in prisoners’ recovery and the reduction of suicide risk; however,
the multidisciplinary team did not share an understanding of
the concept of hope. Theoretical development in this area, for
example through concept analysis, will bring consistency to
future research and enable the development of evidence-based
interventions which may reduce the high rate of prison
suicide and subsequently have a positive effect on staff stress
and burnout.
has been linked to suicide risk, yet the concept of hope in prison
is not well understood. The aim of this study was to gain an
insight into a multidisciplinary health care team’s understanding of
the concept of hope when working with suicidal prisoners.
Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 13 members of
a multidisciplinary health care team at a category B male prison,
and 7 participants additionally attended a focus group. The data
was then thematically analysed. Three themes emerged from
the analysis: a diverse understanding of the concept of hope,
hope as a protective factor from suicide, and prison is a unique
environment. These insights acknowledge hope as a key factor
in prisoners’ recovery and the reduction of suicide risk; however,
the multidisciplinary team did not share an understanding of
the concept of hope. Theoretical development in this area, for
example through concept analysis, will bring consistency to
future research and enable the development of evidence-based
interventions which may reduce the high rate of prison
suicide and subsequently have a positive effect on staff stress
and burnout.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 24-31 |
| Journal | British Journal of Mental Health Nursing |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 6 Feb 2018 |
Keywords
- Suicide
- Hope
- Prison
- Mental Health
- Nursing
