Sexuality in Forensic Psychiatry. Results of a Qualitative Study on Professionals' Perspectives and Recommendations for Clinical Practice

Objective Investigation of employees' perspectives on sexuality and sexual health of inpatients in two gender-separated forensic psychiatries in Bavaria.Methods 19 semi-structured interviews were analyzed with qualitative content analysis. The results were discussed with employees and a recommendation for action was developed.Results Employees describe insufficient and non-systematic consideration of sexuality in forensic institutions. Regulations on permitted and non-permitted behavior either do not exist, are unknown or remain on an implicit level for many employees and patients.Conclusion The consideration of sexuality and the sexual needs of patients should be comprehensible and transparent. An attached recommendation for dealing with sexuality can help institutions to give more consideration to sexuality in forensic institutions.