Forensic psychiatric care professionals’ experiences of communicating with foreign patients and their relatives: the importance of language and culture
BackgroundClear and effective communication between patients and professionals in forensic psychiatric care is central to providing accurate information about care and treatment and building trust. Limited language proficiency hinders mutual understanding, making therapeutic interactions significant...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1643806/full |
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| author | Omed Abdul Rahman Omed Abdul Rahman Omed Abdul Rahman Eirini Alexiou Eirini Alexiou Alessio Degl’Innocenti Alessio Degl’Innocenti Christopher Holmberg Christopher Holmberg Christopher Holmberg Patricia Olaya-Contreras Patricia Olaya-Contreras |
| author_facet | Omed Abdul Rahman Omed Abdul Rahman Omed Abdul Rahman Eirini Alexiou Eirini Alexiou Alessio Degl’Innocenti Alessio Degl’Innocenti Christopher Holmberg Christopher Holmberg Christopher Holmberg Patricia Olaya-Contreras Patricia Olaya-Contreras |
| author_sort | Omed Abdul Rahman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundClear and effective communication between patients and professionals in forensic psychiatric care is central to providing accurate information about care and treatment and building trust. Limited language proficiency hinders mutual understanding, making therapeutic interactions significantly more complex. In Sweden, there has been an increase in the number of non-Swedish-speaking immigrants during the last decade, which further emphasizes this important aspect. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of forensic psychiatric professionals and identify factors influencing effective communication in their interactions with patients and their relatives who have limited proficiency in Swedish.MethodsNine professionals specializing in forensic psychiatry— including physicians, registered nurses, and counselors—participated in deep individual interviews. Qualitative content analysis was conducted inductively, following the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.ResultsOne overarching theme emerged—effective communication is the foundation of care and treatment but difficult to separate from culture and translation. Four categories were identified (1): importance of satisfactory communication for effective patient care, (2) challenges and paradoxes of interpreter use, (3) cultural understanding as a guide for deep communication in forensic psychiatry relationships, and (4) health literacy needs of patients and relatives to comprehend treatment.ConclusionTo improve forensic psychiatric care, healthcare providers must adopt structured language assistance measures, such as interpreter services and cultural competency training for professionals. Participants emphasized the importance of integrating cultural awareness in care delivery and ensuring precise communication of complex psychiatric concepts to minimize misunderstandings and enhance patient engagement. Family education and health literacy are crucial in fostering comprehension and optimizing interpreter use, enabling consistent and clear communication. Implementing these measures can lead to a more inclusive healthcare environment, ensuring equal access to mental health services for linguistically diverse patients. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-243711018cd44420838f7400696c74f7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-243711018cd44420838f7400696c74f72025-08-20T04:00:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-08-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.16438061643806Forensic psychiatric care professionals’ experiences of communicating with foreign patients and their relatives: the importance of language and cultureOmed Abdul Rahman0Omed Abdul Rahman1Omed Abdul Rahman2Eirini Alexiou3Eirini Alexiou4Alessio Degl’Innocenti5Alessio Degl’Innocenti6Christopher Holmberg7Christopher Holmberg8Christopher Holmberg9Patricia Olaya-Contreras10Patricia Olaya-Contreras11Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment of Forensic Psychiatry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, SwedenCentre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment of Forensic Psychiatry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, SwedenCentre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenCentre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenVästra Götaland Region, Regionhälsan, Gothenburg, SwedenInstitute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenCentre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment of Psychotic Disorders, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, SwedenInstitute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenCentre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenBackgroundClear and effective communication between patients and professionals in forensic psychiatric care is central to providing accurate information about care and treatment and building trust. Limited language proficiency hinders mutual understanding, making therapeutic interactions significantly more complex. In Sweden, there has been an increase in the number of non-Swedish-speaking immigrants during the last decade, which further emphasizes this important aspect. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of forensic psychiatric professionals and identify factors influencing effective communication in their interactions with patients and their relatives who have limited proficiency in Swedish.MethodsNine professionals specializing in forensic psychiatry— including physicians, registered nurses, and counselors—participated in deep individual interviews. Qualitative content analysis was conducted inductively, following the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.ResultsOne overarching theme emerged—effective communication is the foundation of care and treatment but difficult to separate from culture and translation. Four categories were identified (1): importance of satisfactory communication for effective patient care, (2) challenges and paradoxes of interpreter use, (3) cultural understanding as a guide for deep communication in forensic psychiatry relationships, and (4) health literacy needs of patients and relatives to comprehend treatment.ConclusionTo improve forensic psychiatric care, healthcare providers must adopt structured language assistance measures, such as interpreter services and cultural competency training for professionals. Participants emphasized the importance of integrating cultural awareness in care delivery and ensuring precise communication of complex psychiatric concepts to minimize misunderstandings and enhance patient engagement. Family education and health literacy are crucial in fostering comprehension and optimizing interpreter use, enabling consistent and clear communication. Implementing these measures can lead to a more inclusive healthcare environment, ensuring equal access to mental health services for linguistically diverse patients.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1643806/fullcommunicationcultural competenceforensic psychiatric careimmigrantlanguage barrierqualitative content analysis |
| spellingShingle | Omed Abdul Rahman Omed Abdul Rahman Omed Abdul Rahman Eirini Alexiou Eirini Alexiou Alessio Degl’Innocenti Alessio Degl’Innocenti Christopher Holmberg Christopher Holmberg Christopher Holmberg Patricia Olaya-Contreras Patricia Olaya-Contreras Forensic psychiatric care professionals’ experiences of communicating with foreign patients and their relatives: the importance of language and culture Frontiers in Psychiatry communication cultural competence forensic psychiatric care immigrant language barrier qualitative content analysis |
| title | Forensic psychiatric care professionals’ experiences of communicating with foreign patients and their relatives: the importance of language and culture |
| title_full | Forensic psychiatric care professionals’ experiences of communicating with foreign patients and their relatives: the importance of language and culture |
| title_fullStr | Forensic psychiatric care professionals’ experiences of communicating with foreign patients and their relatives: the importance of language and culture |
| title_full_unstemmed | Forensic psychiatric care professionals’ experiences of communicating with foreign patients and their relatives: the importance of language and culture |
| title_short | Forensic psychiatric care professionals’ experiences of communicating with foreign patients and their relatives: the importance of language and culture |
| title_sort | forensic psychiatric care professionals experiences of communicating with foreign patients and their relatives the importance of language and culture |
| topic | communication cultural competence forensic psychiatric care immigrant language barrier qualitative content analysis |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1643806/full |
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