Qigong: An Effective Intervention on Positive Affect Traits for Forensic Mental Health Consumers

People experiencing mental illness require services that provide them with a sense of personal safety, a place where they can experience a reduction to their distress and assistance in managing their feelings. Interventions need to explore therapies that enhance feelings of personal safety and comfort for consumers and within a forensic mental health service, therapies and support that can assist in combating the antecedents to violent offending. The practice of Qigong is reported to have numerous health benefits; however, little has been reported regarding the possible benefits of Qigong for people experiencing severe mental illness and, more specifically, for people experiencing severe mental illness who have serious offending histories such as forensic consumers. This study explores the possibility of using Qigong to reduce personal frustrations that can lead to violence.

The object of this study was to explore whether Qigong is an effective intervention on positive affect traits for forensic mental health consumers, and whether other benefits are experienced.

An exploratory design using quantitative and qualitative approaches was used. Consumers participated in weekly Qigong groups delivered for a 10-wk period. Data were collected using an adapted version of the positive affect rating scale measuring the degree to which people experience different positive emotions. Qualitative measures were added to the scale to obtain a deeper understanding of the consumer experience, with 67 scales completed.

Consumers in a forensic hospital responded positively to participating in Qigong groups. Strategies such as Qigong are interventions that mental health clinicians can use to promote positive feelings of personal relaxation, peacefulness, and safety. Qigong can promote positive affective traits for consumers in forensic hospitals. These positive affective traits can act as protective factors to inpatient aggression and violence. Forensic consumers report that Qigong is easy to learn and helpful for them in managing their frustrations. The findings from this study may add to the paucity of data discussing the use of Qigong with consumers as an effective relaxation intervention and possibly as an intervention in reducing negative affective states by promoting positive affective states, thereby reducing aggression and possible violence occurring within the forensic inpatient environment.