Balancing security and care: Gender relations of nursing staff in forensic psychiatric care

This study departs from the built-in tension of the dual goals of forensic psychiatric care in Sweden, which are to protect society as well as to care for patients. The majority of violence that takes place is perpetrated by men. Therefore, the views of nursing staff on violence as a gendered phenomenon have an impact on the care provision. There is a need for further knowledge of how norms of violence are intertwined with the construction of gender. The aim of this study was to use a gender perspective to demonstrate the views of nursing staff on security and care and the consequences for their relationships with patients. The study adopts an ethnographic approach, with data consisting of field notes from participatory observations and interviews with nursing staff at two maximum-security clinics. We show how the perceptions of nursing staff about gender relations are based on heteronormative thinking, which affects their practice. This implies that if gender is ignored in relation to the dual goals, there is a risk of perpetrating patterns of unequal conditions. Therefore, it is vital to make gender visible to counteract unequal conditions for nursing staff and address patients' individual care needs.