Counteracting Abuse in Health Care: Evaluating a One-Year Drama Intervention with Staff in Sweden.

In Northern European countries 13-28% of female patients seeking gynecological health care have reported abuse by health care staff (AHC). We conducted workshops with health care staff using the improvised role-play method Forum Play (FP), based on techniques developed by Boal. The study explores to what extent the intervention increased the staff's awareness of AHC and their ability to take action against it.

Preferred and actual mode of delivery in relation to fear of childbirth.

Purpose: This prospective cohort study aimed to investigate the interrelation between preferred/actual mode of delivery and pre- and postpartum fear of childbirth (FOC).

Material And Methods: Participants from 13 midwifery practices and four hospitals in Southwest Netherlands filled out questionnaires at 30 weeks' gestation ( = 561) and two months postpartum ( = 463), including questions on preferred mode of delivery, the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS). Results were related to obstetric data.

Is fear of childbirth related to the woman's preferred location for giving birth? A Dutch low-risk cohort study.

Background: In The Netherlands, women with low-risk pregnancy are routinely given the option of home birth, providing a unique opportunity to study the relationship between fear of childbirth (FOC) and preference for childbirth location, and whether women experience higher FOC when the actual location differs from their preference.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 331 nulliparous and parous women completed a questionnaire at gestational week 30 (T1) and two months postpartum (T2). FOC was assessed using versions A (T1) and B (T2) of the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ).

[Abuse in healthcare - lessons learned during two decades of research].

Patients' experience of abuse in health care (AHC) is common, and may cause long-lasting suffering. In Sweden, lifetime prevalence is estimated at 20 per cent among female patients and 8 per cent among male patients, and a background of other abuse is a risk factor. Most health care staff have experience of patients who have been abused, but the topic is surrounded by silence from both patients and caregivers.

Understanding and preventing situations of abuse in health care - Navigation work in a Swedish palliative care setting.

In their everyday work, health professionals find themselves in situations that they perceive to be abusive to patients. Such situations can trigger feelings of shame and guilt, making efforts to address the problem among colleagues a challenge. This article analyzes how health professionals conceptualize abusive situations, and how they develop collective learning and explore preventive strategies.

Body dysmorphic disorder in female Swedish dermatology patients.

Background: Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) are highly distressed and impaired owing to perceived defects in their physical appearance that are not noticeable to others. They are frequently concerned about their skin and often present to dermatologists rather than psychiatrists. However, BDD patients attending dermatology clinics may be at risk of not receiving an appropriate assessment and beneficial treatment.

Severe fear of childbirth indicates high perinatal costs for Swedish women giving birth to their first child.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to calculate costs associated with severe fear of childbirth (FOC) during pregnancy and peripartum by comparing two groups of women expecting their first child and attending an ordinary antenatal program; one with low FOC and one with severe FOC.

Material And Methods: In a prospective case-control cohort study one group with low FOC [Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) sum score ≤60, n = 107] and one with severe FOC (W-DEQ ≥85, n = 43) were followed up till 3 months postpartum and included in the analysis. Medical records were assessed and medical parameters were mapped.

'I will be at death's door and realize that I've wasted maybe half of my life on one body part': the experience of living with body dysmorphic disorder.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of patients living with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), including their experiences with the health care system.

Methods: Fifteen individuals with BDD were interviewed, and interpretive description was used to analyse the interviews.

Results: The following six themes were identified: being absorbed in time-consuming procedures, facing tension between one's own ideal and the perceived reality, becoming the disorder, being restricted in life, attempting to reduce one's problems and striving to receive care.

Being "Good in Bed"-Body Concerns, Self-Perceptions, and Gender Expectations Among Swedish Heterosexual Female and Male Senior High-School Students.

We investigated gender differences regarding body perceptions, self-perceptions, values and expectations in sexual situations, and factors associated with expectations, among Swedish heterosexual female and male high-school students. A total of 2,765 students (aged 18 to 22) completed questionnaires. Women reported lower satisfaction with themselves and their body appearance (p < 0.

Silence, shame and abuse in health care: theoretical development on basis of an intervention project among staff.

As health care exists to alleviate patients' suffering it is unacceptable that it inflicts unnecessary suffering on patients. We therefore have developed and evaluated a drama pedagogical model for staff interventions using Forum Play, focusing on staff's experiences of failed encounters where they have perceived that the patient felt abused. In the current paper we present how our preliminary theoretical framework of intervening against abuse in health care developed and was revised during this intervention.

Treatment of nulliparous women with severe fear of childbirth via the Internet: a feasibility study.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to test the feasibility of Internet interventions among nulliparous women suffering from severe fear of childbirth (FOC) by means of an Internet-delivered therapist-supported self-help program based on cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT).

Design: Prospective, longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: A feasibility study of an ICBT program for the treatment of severe FOC in pregnant women.

Inequity in waiting for cataract surgery--an analysis of data from the Swedish National Cataract Register.

Background: Swedish Health and Medical Services act states that good care should be given to the entire population on equal terms. Still studies show that access to care in Sweden differ related to for example gender and socioeconomic variables. One of the areas in Swedish health care that has attracted attention for potential inequity in access is Cataract Extraction (CE).

Lifetime co-occurrence of violence victimisation and symptoms of psychological ill health: a cross-sectional study of Swedish male and female clinical and population samples.

Background: Lifetime co-occurrence of violence victimisation is common. A large proportion of victims report being exposed to multiple forms of violence (physical, sexual, emotional violence) and/or violence by multiple kinds of perpetrators (family members, intimate partners, acquaintances/strangers). Yet much research focuses on only one kind of victimisation.

A first online intervention to increase patients' perceived ability to act in situations of abuse in health care: reports of a Swedish pre-post study.

Background: Efforts to counteract abuse in health care, defined as patient-experienced abuse, have mainly focused on interventions among caregivers. This study is the first to test an online intervention focusing on how patients can counteract such abuse. The intervention aimed at increasing patients' intention and perceived ability to act in future situations where they risk experiencing abuse.

Nulliparous pregnant women's narratives of imminent childbirth before and after internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for severe fear of childbirth: a qualitative study.

Objective: To describe the expectations concerning imminent childbirth before and after 8 weeks of internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) among nulliparous pregnant women with severe fear of childbirth.

Design: Qualitative study of nulliparous pregnant women's narratives before and after CBT.

Setting: The first ICBT programme for treating severe fear of childbirth.

Prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder among Swedish women: a population-based study.

Background: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by a highly distressing and impairing preoccupation with nonexistent or slight defects in appearance. Patients with BDD present to both psychiatric and non-psychiatric physicians. A few studies have assessed BDD prevalence in representative samples of the general population and have demonstrated that this disorder is relatively common.

Sexual interaction or a solitary action: young Swedish men's ideal images of sexual situations in relationships and in one-night stands.

Objective: It seems that traditional gender norms influence young women's and men's sexuality differently. However, little attention has been paid to ideal images of sexual situations. This study identifies young heterosexual men's ideal images of sexual situations and their expectations of themselves in sexual situations.

Associations and experiences observed for family and nonfamily forms of violent behavior in different relational contexts among Swedish men and women.

The aim of this study was to examine how lifetime experiences of different types of violent behavior as well as violence by different kinds of perpetrators overlap, and to investigate the co-occurrence of experiences of violent behavior by kind of perpetrator. This was done among both sexes in both a random sample from a county population (women n = 1,168, men n = 2,924) and a clinical sample (women n = 2,439, men, n = 1,767) in Sweden. More than 1 kind of perpetrator was reported by 33%-37% of female and 22%-23% of male victims of some kind of violence, whereas 47%-48% of female and 29%-31% of male victims reported more than 1 kind of violence.

The first pelvic examination for an adolescent: is this rite of passage used to its full potential?

Purpose Of Review: Adolescents' experiences of their first pelvic examination (external inspection, speculum examination and bimanual palpation) may have a marked influence on future experiences; why examination techniques and strategies for creating a positive experience of this situation need to be developed. This review addresses to what extent that ambition is reflected in recent literature.

Recent Findings: The majority of articles on 'pelvic examination during adolescence' come from the United States, which skews the review's perspective.

Validation of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire in a community sample of Swedish women.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is characterized by a distressing and impairing preoccupation with a nonexistent or slight defect in appearance. Patients with the disorder present to both psychiatric and non-psychiatric physicians. A few studies have assessed BDD prevalence in the general population and have shown that the disorder is relatively common.

Prioritizing the partner's enjoyment: a population-based study on young Swedish women with experience of pain during vaginal intercourse.

The present study examines the prevalence of women who continue to have vaginal intercourse (VIC) despite pain, avoid telling the partner, and feign enjoyment. It also considers the reasons for this behavior. A sample of 1566 female senior high school students (aged 18-22 years) completed a questionnaire concerning their experiences and attitudes toward their body and sexuality.

Gynecological patients learning to perform the pelvic examination: a win-win concept.

Objective: This study explored gynecological patient perceptions of previous pelvic examinations (PE), a learning session about PE prior to a scheduled PE consultation, and the impact of the learning session on the PE during the consultation.

Study Design: Twelve informants were purposefully sampled from women with scheduled gynecologist appointments at a Swedish University Hospital. The learning session preceded the consultation and provided information on female genital anatomy and the PE, and the informant performed a PE on a mannequin.

Staff's perception of abuse in healthcare: a Swedish qualitative study.

Objective: The study aim was to apprehend staff's perception of abuse in healthcare (AHC) after an intervention based on 'Forum Play', and make comparisons to preintervention interviews and interviews with male and female patients. AHC can be described as a failing encounter from the patient's perspective.

Design: Qualitative interview follow-up study.

Unexpected enlightening of a "female world". Male medical students' experiences of learning and performing the first pelvic examination.

Objective: To gain a deeper understanding of how undergraduate male medical students experience a pelvic examination learning concept and performing the first pelvic examination (PE) on a professional patient.

Study Design: A qualitative study. In-depth interviews with 12 male medical students' after their involvement in a learning session about the PE, with professional patients and a supervising gynecologist as instructors.