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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

SO224

Equitable Forensic Psychiatric Care in Sweden for Patients of Foreign Origin

EQUITABLE SWEDISH FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIC CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH FOREIGN BACKGROUNDS

Language and cultural barriers in forensic psychiatry can lead to misinterpretation of a patient’s mental state; the use of in-person interpreters and cultural competence training are recommended as priority solutions.

The aim is to systematically evaluate the care and treatment provided to forensic psychiatric patients with an immigrant background in comparison with patients without an immigrant background, and to describe experiences of healthcare communication in this patient group. The poster presents a doctoral project comprising four studies: the first and second are register-based studies involving cross-linkage of the RättspsyK, LISA, and STATIV registers, while the third and fourth involve semi-structured interviews with approximately 10 patients with limited Swedish proficiency and 10 healthcare professionals; the interviews are audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. No numerical results have been reported because the data for the quantitative study variables have not yet been received from the registry centre. The first article from the qualitative component of the project was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in 2025 and addressed healthcare professionals’ perspectives. The main findings of this study are that language barriers hinder mutual understanding and may lead to misinterpretation of a patient’s mental state, that in-person interpreters are more effective than remote interpreting services in reducing misunderstandings, and that cultural competence is at least as important as linguistic competence. In conclusion, the project emphasises that effective care depends on communication, which in turn depends on culture and interpreting. Recommendations include establishing a structured interpreting service staffed by certified interpreters, providing cultural competence training for healthcare professionals, offering written information in multiple languages, and implementing transparent communication strategies.

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