Male prisoners’ experiences of taking part in research about suicide and violence: a mixed methods study

Abstract

Plain English summary Some topics of research are considered ‘sensitive’ or ‘risky’. This includes topics such as suicide and violence. Some groups of people are also considered ‘sensitive’ or ‘risky’. This includes prisoners. Because of this, there is little research done with prisoners on topics such as suicide and violence. This study aimed to explore the experiences of prisoners who took part in a study about suicide and violence. Eighty male prisoners took part in either a questionnaire study or an interview study (or both). At the beginning of the session people were asked to rate their mood from 0 to 10. Zero was the worst possible imaginable mood and 10 was the best possible imaginable mood. People were asked to do this again at the end of the session. People were also asked to give three words to describe their experience of the session. The people who took part in the questionnaire study had a significant improvement in mood after the session. The people who took part in the interview study had no difference in mood after the session. Most people gave positive words to describe the session. People said the session was satisfying, calming, interesting, enlightening and beneficial. A smaller number of people gave negative words. They described the session as stressful, challenging, saddening, uncomfortable and bizarre. This study therefore contrasts the idea that prisoners will become upset if they take part in research about suicide and violence. Therefore, we should continue to research this area.

Keywords

• Suicide
• Violence
• Participation
• Patient public involvement