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The Impact of COVID-19 on Forensic Rehabilitation in Austria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2023

M. Koch ,
A. Dvorak ,
M. Hobersdorfer ,
L. Yeghiazaryan ,
U. Rabl  and
A. Komorowski
M. Koch
Affiliation:
1Medical University of Vienna, Vienna
A. Dvorak
Affiliation:
2Justizanstalt Göllersdorf, Göllersdorf, Austria
M. Hobersdorfer
Affiliation:
2Justizanstalt Göllersdorf, Göllersdorf, Austria
L. Yeghiazaryan
Affiliation:
1Medical University of Vienna, Vienna
U. Rabl
Affiliation:
1Medical University of Vienna, Vienna
A. Komorowski*
Affiliation:
1Medical University of Vienna, Vienna
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

In general, forensic psychiatric patients experience major restrictions of freedom. To mitigate the risk for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), even more restrictions were implemented in Austrian mental health institutions in 2020. Besides potential deterioration of psychopathological symptoms, exaggerated freedom-restricting measures may limit the forensic rehabilitation of offenders.

Objectives

Given that rehabilitative efforts and social visits were suspended for more than a year, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychosocial rehabilitation of forensic psychiatric patients.

Methods

This retrospective longitudinal observational study evaluated institutional data before and after the enactment of freedom-restricting measures in an Austrian forensic mental health institution. Data were obtained from 97 offenders treated at the institution Justizanstalt Göllersdorf during two time periods (January 2019 – March 2020 and March 2020 – May 2021). Statistical differences between both periods were assessed by means of Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Study outcomes included the number of visits by relatives and legal guardians as well as rehabilitative activities.

Results

After the outbreak of the pandemic, access to penal institutions was limited for external visitors, which led to a decrease in visits by relatives (1440 vs. 394, p < .001) and legal guardians (286 vs. 122, p = .003). Further, the total number of one-day temporary releases of patients (64 vs. 3, p < .001) and group excursions (103 vs. 10, p < .001) decreased in the second study period.

Conclusions

Focusing on social contacts and rehabilitative activities, this study highlights the impact of the current pandemic in forensic psychiatry. While COVID-19-related protective measures may reduce the risk for disease transmission, enforced quarantine and other restrictions of freedom impair the rehabilitation of forensic psychiatric patients. This implies the necessity for guidelines to uphold an appropriate standard of care during future pandemics.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 66 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 31st European Congress of Psychiatry , March 2023 , pp. S206
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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