The Life Course of Abused Men-A Time-Geography Life-Chart Interview Study in a Psychiatric Care Context.

Abstract

Experience of abuse as a life event is common among men in a psychiatric care context. Systematically charting life events and abuse plays a central role within psychiatric and mental health nursing and could improve the understanding of the patient's life situation. The aim of the study was to explore the life course of male psychiatric patients who had experienced domestic abuse as victims and as perpetrators. An interview study was performed with nine informants using a time-geographic method followed by a qualitative analysis approach. The analysis of life events resulted in four categories-living the everyday life, adverse life experiences, the lived experience of abuse exposure and perpetration, and systems of support. The categories were then synthesized and presented through a constructed case. The study reveals that the men faced severe domestic abuse, difficult home conditions, and a lack of support during childhood. Further, they encountered stressful events and mental health issues in adulthood. These findings offer deeper insights into the lives of men with abuse experiences. The knowledge obtained provides valuable information about important life events, including abuse and perpetration, of male psychiatric patients, which may encourage a patient narrative suitable for good psychiatric and mental health nursing practice.