. 2016 Oct;40(5):266–272. doi: 10.1192/pb.bp.115.051573

Table 1.

Summary of results from literature search

Reference	Aims and design	n	Setting	Method and analysis	Main findings
Bowers et al²⁸	Compared admissions and incidents across 3 units	Not reported	PICU	Retrospective multi-method analysis	Majority of admissions were young males, with psychosis
Bowers et al²⁵	Literature review of the working model of PICU, patient profiles, etc.	N/A	PICU	N/A	Majority are male. No gender differences in satisfaction with care
Brown & Bass26	Compared PICU and non-PICU patients in same hospital	330 (114 female)	PICU	Retrospective case-note analysis	Patients predominantly male. Females may be particularly disturbed, higher rates of violence to self and others, personality disorder diagnosis more common
Brown et al²⁷	Describes admissions and outcomes from 7 wards	332 (72 female)	PICU	Prospective, multi-centre case analysis	Majority male. More females in relationships, fewer misused drugs/alcohol, self-harm more common, more diagnosed with personality disorder
Gintalaite et al³⁰	Describes characteristics and outcome of first female-only unit	49 female patients	PICU	Prospective case-note analysis	Majority single; with psychosis or personality disorder; transferred for aggression and self-harm. Average length of stay 8 weeks, but longer with personality disorder
Gramaglia et al³⁷	Assessed gender differences in sample of first admission in patients with and without substance use disorder	1473 (819 female)	Psychiatric ward, Italy	Retrospective case-note analysis	Divorce, family problems and self-harm were all found to be risk factors for comorbidity in females
Hietanen & Punamaki³⁵	Studied link between attachment styles and working alliance	100 in-patients (62% female), 21 staff	Acute unit, Finland	Data collected from self-report questionnaires	Adult attachment style associated with working alliance, but association was different in men and women
O'Brien et al¹⁵	Gender differences in admission, incidents and outcomes	91 (14 female)	PICU	Retrospective case-note analysis	Fewer women referred and tended to stay longer
Mustafa et al²⁹	Gender differences in admission and referral pathways	206 (64 female)	PICU	Retrospective case-note analysis	Males more likely admitted for aggression and had higher substance misuse
Beer et al⁴²	Measured treatment effectiveness and predictors of change	86 (25 female)	Low secure, UK	Case series	Improvements found on HoNOS. Female gender associated with deterioration on scores
Berg²²	Studied diagnostic differences in referrals	998 (480 female)	Acute unit, Norway	Retrospective case series	Women with personality disorder more common, men with substance misuse more common
Coid et al¹⁸	Gender differences in admission characteristics	3005 (450 female)	High/medium secure, UK	Retrospective case-note analysis	Gender differences found in diagnosis, comorbidities and forensic history
Coid et al⁴³	Measured re-offending following discharge	1344 (177 female)	Medium secure/ community, UK	Follow-up study	Risk of re-conviction higher in men
Cutting & Henderson³³	Examined women&s experience of in-patient psychiatric care	32 female patients	Psychiatric hospital, UK	Focus groups and interviews	Dissatisfied with many aspects of care including mixed-gender wards
Dickens et al³⁹	Compared incident data across care pathways	N/A	Medium/low secure, UK	Retrospective survey	Women more likely to be involved in other-directed and self-harm incidents
Krakowski & Czobor³⁸	Examined gender differences in violent behaviours	189 (67 female)	Psychiatric hospital, USA	Prospective analysis of incidents	Gender differences in patterns of violent behaviours and impact of certain risk factors
Lart et al²⁴	Literature review of women in secure psychiatric services	N/A	N/A	Systematic review	Women had a wide range of needs and were different to men in significant ways
Long et al²⁰	Describes development of best-practice treatment for women	27 female patients	Medium secure, UK	Descriptive case study	Majority have comorbid personality disorder, experiences of abuse, and offences of manslaughter/arson
Long et al³²	Explored service users' views on effective therapeutic milieu	19 female patients	Low/Medium Secure, UK	Service user-led focus groups	Themes identified: interpersonal relationships, treatment programming, service user empowerment, safety and hope for future
Long et al²¹	Mapped the characteristics of women over a 6-year period	65 female patients	Medium secure, UK	Prospective case-note analysis	Most had primary diagnosis of personality disorder, plus histories of violence and self-harm
Maatta³¹	Explored patients' experiences of psychiatric care	N/A	Psychiatric hospital, UK	Literature review	Main themes were women want a broad range of treatments, and prefer single-gender units
Maden et al⁴⁴	Investigated gender differences in re-offending over 1 year	959 (116 female)	Medium secure, UK	Follow-up study	Women less likely to be reconvicted. Adjustments for self-harm, drug/alcohol problems and previous offending reduced differences
Nathan et al⁴¹	Compared risk of burnout in nurses	28 nurses	Medium secure, UK	Level of burnout assessed before and after ward opened	Nurses working on women's ward experienced more emotional exhaustion
Nicholls et al²³	Examined the risk profiles of female patients and contrasted with male counterparts	527 (12% female)	Secure forensic unit, Canada	Retrospective file reviews	Women no less likely than men to have a violent index offence and to perpetrate in-patient aggression
Sahota et al¹⁹	Investigated gender differences in characteristics and outcomes	595 (93 female)	Medium secure, UK	Retrospective follow-up data analysed	Differences found in admission characteristics and outcome
Schon³⁴	Explored service user views on compulsory in-patient care	30 (15 female)	Psychiatric hospital, Sweden	Service user interviews	Stories of coercion more common in women. Women emphasised need for emotional support
Somers & Bartlett⁴⁰	Explored the nature and quality of care pathways for women	47 local experts	Low/medium secure, UK	Psychiatrists and ward managers interviewed	Focused on physical relocation. Care promoted by increased awareness of women's needs, continuity of care and support for teams