Older persons with dementia have several risk factors for being exposed to domestic abuse, for example dependency on others to manage daily life. The purpose of the study was to explore how staff act and reason when suspecting domestic abuse perpetrated by informal caregivers of persons with dementia. Eight semi-structured group interviews were conducted with staff (n = 39) working with persons with dementia living in their ordinary homes. A thematic analysis generated two themes; Missing a map for guidance and Being left to one’s own inner compass for direction indicating that staff experienced a lack of guidelines and protocols to work from when suspecting abuse. This resulted in staff taking actions based on their own norms, values, and experiences when suspecting domestic abuse. Not knowing how to act risks leading to staff ending up doing nothing or being unable to identify effective interventions, accompanied by feelings of guilt and ethical stress. The results highlight the necessity of providing staff with tools for how to act when they suspect domestic abuse, such as collaboration with others, colleagues, and other organisations where different options for interventions can emerge.

Svensk titel: En svensk studie om hur personal resonerar och agerar när demisstänker våld i nära relationer som begås av anhöriga tillpersoner med demenssjukdom.

Äldre personer med demenssjukdom har flera riskfaktorer för att utsättas för våld i nära relationer, till exempel att vara beroende av andra för att klara det dagliga livet. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur personal agerar och resonerar vid misstanke om våld i nära relationer som begås av anhöriga till personer med demenssjukdom. Åtta semistrukturerade gruppintervjuer genomfördes med personal (n = 39) som arbetar med personer med demenssjukdom som bor i ordinärt boenden. En tematisk analys genererade två teman; karta saknas för att ge guidning och vara utlämnad till en inre kompass för att finna riktning, vilket tyder på att personalen upplevde en brist på rutiner och riktlinjer att utgå ifrån vid misstanke om våld i nära relation. Detta resulterade i att personalen vidtog åtgärder utifrån sina egna normer, värderingar och erfarenheter vid misstanke om våld i nära relationer. Att inte veta hur man ska agera riskerar att leda till att personalen inte gör något eller har svårighter att hitta effektiva insatser, vilket kan leda till skuldkänslor och etisk stress. Resultatet belyser behovet av att ge personalen verktyg för hur de ska agera vid misstanke om våld i nära relationer, såsom samarbete med andra, kollegor och andra verksamheter där olika alternativ för insatser kan växa fram.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term effects of an Arts on Prescription (AoP) programme on sense of coherence (SOC) in Sweden.

Design: A controlled intervention study with a quasi-experimental prospective design, including questionnaires at baseline, with follow-ups at 6 and 12 months. Participants were on sick leave due to common mental disorders (CMD) and/or non-specific musculoskeletal pain, recruited from primary care in six regions. The intervention group also included participants from open psychiatric care. The study sample comprised 586 participants (335 in the intervention group and 251 in the control group).

Results: Both groups showed a significantly stronger SOC at follow-up, with a medium effect size for the intervention group and a small effect size for the control group. No statistically significant difference in SOC change over time was observed between the groups. Participants from open psychiatric care in the intervention group showed a significant improvement in SOC compared to those from primary care. Concerns about finances had a significant main effect on SOC for the entire study population.

Originality: Unlike most AoP studies, this controlled study with a relatively large sample provides insights into the long-term effects of AoP on SOC, with results reported using p-values and effect sizes.

This article focuses on the complexities of using a new intervention when parents are suspected of child physical abuse. Children leaving a child forensic interview due to suspected child physical abuse are often handed over to their parents, who sometimes are the suspected perpetrators. The Efter barnförhöret (EB) [After the child forensic interview] intervention was developed to aid children in this stressful situation by providing professional support from child welfare services to the child and parents. The article is based on interviews with 11 respondents working with EB. Narratives reveal how respondents use their discretionary space to navigate different institutional logics. In the themes Focusing on the child, Getting parents motivated, The challenges with organizational boundaries and Demand trumps resources, respondents argue that EB, despite organizational challenges, is considered an important intervention that meets the needs of children and families after the disclosure of child physical abuse.

Increased concern was raised globally at the outbreak of COVID-19 that victims of domestic violence would be even more at risk when isolated with a violent partner and out of reach of support due to restrictions. Swedish staff in violence against women services prepared for increased calls for help. Instead, a worrying silence arose in a time and place of high uncertainty. This article analyzes the narratology of risk, when staff members in violence against women services, reflect upon their accounts, responses, and experiences, during the pandemic. The analysis is based on three themes, accounting for expected increased influx, making sense of silence and accounting for mobilization. The findings are discussed by applying the relational theory of risk.

This paper investigates the challenges domestic violence social workers face when balancing between protecting themselves, their co-workers, and clients from sickness while at the same time providing support. Drawing on interviews with eleven professionals and theories of discretion we analyzed how and why responses to COVID-19 restrictions were formed. Three responses were revealed. First, professionals complied with pandemic restrictions. Second, professionals negotiated practices to counter the negative effects of restrictions. Third, professionals also resisted restrictions altogether – i.e., they claimed to break the rules for a higher moral purpose. Awareness of the three different positions social workers occupy and their need to balance different demands provides insight into the negotiations that the work entails. Managers directives seem to be transformed into negotiations to protect interests of the social workers or of their clients.

Since the winter of 2020, COVID-19 has significantly changed the lives of many people. The aim of the present study is to explore how social workers specialised in the field of domestic violence (DV) balance the expectation and need to protect themselves from infection with the expectation and need to protect their clients and how this balancing affects their discretion. The method was qualitative interviews with social workers, team leaders, and managers in two Swedish municipalities. The results offer insights in how professionals experience and respond to changing conditions of social work and the potential consequences for victimised women. Three street-level responses to pandemic restrictions are presented: professionals who complied with new restrictions, professionals who negotiated some far-reaching restrictions, and professionals who resisted restrictions. Consequences for the social services, women experiencing DV, and civil society are discussed. The authors suggest that the results provide learning opportunities for managers and social workers to better understand the complex everyday life that surrounds their mission.

Sedan vintern 2020 har Covid-19 förändrat livet för många människor. Syftet med den aktuella studien är att undersöka hur socialarbetare specialiserade på våld i nära relationer balanserar förväntningar ochbehov av att skydda sig gentemot infektion med förväntningar och behov att skydda klienter och hur detta påverkar deras diskretion. Kvalitativa intervjuer med socialarbetare, teamledare och chefer i två svenska kommuner användes som datainsamlingsmetod. Resultaten visar hur professionella erfar och responderar på förändrade villkor för socialt arbete och vilka konsekvenser detta får för våldsutsatta kvinnor. Tre responser på pandemi-restriktioner presenteras: att följa nya begränsningar, att förhandla begränsningar och att göra motstånd mot begränsningar. Konsekvenser för socialtjänst, våldsutsatta kvinnor och civilsamhället diskuteras. Författarna föreslår att resultaten ger möjlighet till lärande för såväl chefer som socialarbetare att bättre förstå den komplexitet som omgärdar deras uppdrag.

Aims: Involvement in arts has shown potential to promote mental health. Thus, arts may be able to complement conventional healthcare to address common mental disorders (CMD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term effect of a 10-week Arts on Prescription program regarding CMD (stress, anxiety, depression), compared to conventional healthcare. The study also aimed to examine whether CMD differed between groups.

Methods: A quasi-experimental prospective design with intervention and control group and 6- and 12-month follow-up was used to evaluate an Arts on Prescription program in Sweden, focusing on the effects on stress, anxiety, and depression. Participants were on sick leave due to CMD and/or musculoskeletal pain. Data was collected using questionnaires.

Results: The study population consisted of 479 participants (n=247 intervention group, n=232 control group). The result indicates a greater effect size (ŋ) in the intervention group compared to the control group for reduction in stress, anxiety, and depression at follow-up after 12 months. The difference in depression was significant.

Conclusions: The results indicate AoP could be an adjunct to conventional healthcare interventions to address CMD, especially depression.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out there was an expressed concern for women and children exposed to interpersonal violence. U.N. testified that violence against women, was highly intensified during this time, and described the situation as a shadow pandemic. A concern expressed was that abused women’s possibilities to reach out for help and support now were being limited. We have interviewed volunteers and staff at women’s shelter, to create a picture of how they navigated in the silence that arose in the wake of the pandemic. We are particularly interested in how they understood and acted in relation to this situation of uncertainty. We will present how uncertainty is transformed to risk and how risk is managed when giving support to women exposed to violence during the pandemic.

In this study we explore to what extent COVID-19 affected victims of domestic violence regarding the quality of support received. Thirty help seeking women receiving support from a specialized department or a women's shelter were interviewed. The analysis revealed that the experiences of receiving support was dependent on access to digital solutions, treatment phase and relationship with the therapist. Varied experiences among the respondents were identified. Some experienced that contact with helpers became more distant, that trust was affected as a consequence of the pandemic, and conversely, others expressed that the quality of contact was very good and was not affected by the pandemic. Quotes from respondents will be presented and implications of the findings discussed during the session.