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Abstract
This study explored to what extent the composition and structure of personal networks of personality-disordered forensic psychiatric patients changed before and after forced confinement in a forensic psychiatric centre. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with 36 patients and selected members of their networks were examined. During forensic psychiatric treatment, patients reported a decrease in network size, in the number of high-risk network members, and in the number of social ties between these high-risk network members. Personal relationships were of shorter duration, with lower levels of contact frequency and reciprocity. No changes were observed in the patients’ companionship, practical and emotional support networks. During forensic psychiatric treatment, patients reported some new relationships, especially with persons outside the forensic psychiatric centre. Information on compositional and structural personal network factors over time helps forensic mental health professionals to properly assess and manage the important dynamic social network conditions associated with recidivism.
Acknowledgements
Funding organizations played no role in the design and conduct of the study, or the collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data, or the preparation, review and approval of the manuscript.
Notes
1. A personality disorder diagnosis can never entirely describe the complexity and individuality of a particular person’s personality profile (Widiger, Citation2003). Although DSM is a valuable tool for diagnosing personality disorders, it has been criticized for reasons including standardizing subjectivity, medicalizing personality and behaviour, and the resource to (neuro) biology in psychiatry (Pickersgill, Citation2012).