Living with the opposite sex: the views of long-stay psychiatric patients.
Assumptions tend to be made about the value of long-stay psychiatric patients living on mixed-sex wards. In this study the views of 71 patients living on single-sex continuing care wards were elicited using a six-item structured interview. The data were analysed by quantitative and qualitative methods. The results show that the majority of patients preferred single-sex living. The benefits and problems of surveys with this population are discussed as well as the implications for decisions about the structure and quality of care.
Division of Psychiatry, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Royal Victoria Infirmary, UK.
S M
SM
Hingley
A M
AM
Goodwin
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment