Safety for women when accessing mental health services: a scoping review of the link between safety and recovery

Abstract

ObjectiveA sense of safety and recovery from mental health issues seem to be interrelated concepts but, to date, there has been no review of studies exploring the links between safety and recovery for women accessing mental health programs. This review aimed to identify current knowledge and knowledge gaps regarding the experiences of women and their personal safety when accessing mixed-gender and women’s mental health programs. MethodsA scoping review methodology was used. Four electronic databases (Medline, PsycINFO, AMED, and CINAHL) were searched, covering the period from January 2000 to December 2019, to identify relevant peer-reviewed articles, which were screened for inclusion. Key search terms included (‘women’ or ‘female’ or ‘gender’) and (‘recovery’ and ‘mental health programs’) or (‘community mental health’ or ‘community mental health centres/or community mental health centre’) and ‘safety’. ResultsTwelve studies were identified, 10 of which were from English-speaking countries (five from the UK, three from Australia, two from the US) and two from European countries, indicating there is limited literature directly relevant to women with mental health issues and their personal safety while using mental health services. Safety from assault and harassment and finding safe and supportive connections were commonly reported as crucial to the process of recovery for the women with mental health issues across these studies. ConclusionsBased on the identified knowledge gaps, this paper advances the argument for more research to inform gender-specific service provision. What is known about the topic?Service guidelines identify the need for gender-sensitive practices in mental health services, yet women continue to report experiences of sexual or other forms of harassment while in acute and subacute mental health programs. What does this paper add?This study identified the current knowledge regarding the experiences of women when accessing mental health programs. In particular, a sense of feeling safe in services was crucial to the process of recovery for women with mental health issues. What are the implications for practitioners?This study contributes to the body of knowledge informing health professionals who work within these mental health programs and highlights the need to meet women’s needs to feel safe when accessing services.