Responses to Complex Emotional Needs in UK male prisons: A scoping review protocol v1
Authors: Lamph Gary , Clifford Angela , Wyndham Delyth , Wheatcroft Sue , Canvin Krysia , Hughes Nathan , Hutton Rose , Roberts Jamie , Rydon-Grange Michelle , Plant Jade , Lewis Carine 
Published: December 2024

Aim & Objectives: The aim of this review is to examine the scope of the literature and grey literature considering support for complex emotional needs in UK male prisons. The objectives to be completed in order to meet the aim are: i.) answer the review question: What commonly applied and novel provisions and interventions are available for those with CEN in male prisons? ii.) synthesise the evidence as a narrative synthesis with tabulation of the findings. Introduction:‘Personality Disorder’ is a contentious and highly stigmatised diagnostic label which is increasingly referred to as Complex Emotional Needs (CEN). It is a psychological developmental disorder linked to adverse childhood events and early traumas and impacts negatively upon emotional functioning, relationships and life trajectories. People with CEN are high users of public services. There is no evidence for effective pharmaceutical treatments of CEN but there is growing evidence for effective psychological interventions. 96% of the prison population in the UK are men. It is estimated 70% have CEN but efforts to work more effectively with this group via the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway, are only available in the most complex, highest risk individuals. Accordingly, most CEN go undetected and unsupported. Despite calls for whole system approaches for CEN in UK prisons, little progress has been made outside the specialist OPD pathway. Inclusion/exclusion criteria: A search framed by keywords identified through a modified SPIDORS strategy will be used to identify relevant sources available in English. The review timespan will be limited to January 2011-2025. Inclusion: Sample – people in the male prison estate, aged over 18 years old Phenomenon of Interest – what is done for people experiencing: personality disorder/difficulties/dysfunction; borderline personality disorder; BPD; anti-social personality disorder; ASPD; emotionally unstable personality disorder; EUPD; complex emotional needs; CEN; complex post-traumatic stress disorder; CPTSD; adverse childhood experiences; ACEs; childhood trauma Design – unlimited, but to include: peer reviewed journal articles; reviews; conceptual or theoretical papers; practice guidelines; position statements; policy directives Outcomes – unlimited, but to include: gaps in service provision; interventions; tools for practice; policy implementation training; strategies; approaches; management Research Type – qualitative; quantitative; multi-methods; mixed methods; reviews; position papers Sources – English language; published post-January 2011 Exclusion: Sample – people in the female prison estate; those under 18 years old; young offenders; young offenders’ institutions; non-prisons (including: probation and community orders) Phenomenon of Interest – Offender Personality Disorder Pathway; OPD; OPDP Design – no limitations Outcome – no limitations Research Type – audio/visual; images Sources – non-English language; published pre-January 2011 Methods:The scoping review seeks to identify published sources considering commonly applied and novel provisions and interventions for those with CEN in male prisons. The databases to be searched are the Web of Science, ProQuest Criminal Justice Database, EBSCO [incorporating APA PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, APA PsycArticles, Medline], PubMed and Ovid. Selected prisoner and mental health journals will be searched directly. Grey literature will be sourced from trusted organisational websites. Backward and forward citation screening will be completed for full text included sources. Four reviewers will be involved in screening the article titles and abstracts and grey sources for inclusion. The full text of sources meeting the inclusion criteria will then be examined for eligibility. A fifth reviewer will mediate any discrepancies between reviewers. Meta-data will be extracted by two reviewers using a standard proforma to include: intervention type; population/sample; duration; aims; methodology; key results/findings; gaps in the research; funding source; and TIDieR (Template for Intervention Description and Replication) checklist items. Four reviewers will independently assess 20% of full text sources and inter-rater reliability will be reported. Eligible sources will be critically appraised using mixed methods critical appraisal tool (MMAT). The data will be summarised in by research/source type in a tabulated and narrative synthesis of the research. Keywords: Scoping Review; Personality Disorder; Complex Emotional Needs; CEN; Male Prisons.