179 COVID-19 and social relationships 6 in particular. Therefore, other outcomes that might have been of interest were not considered. CONCLUSION This study provides an exploration of the impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on social relationships of forensic psychiatric outpatients. During the worldwide COVID-19 crisis mental healthcare treatments and social services were interrupted. Our findings highlight that social relationships of forensic outpatients with pre-existing social network-related problems remain of concern throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We suggest that assertive providing of social network interventions, focusing on the development and maintenance of social bonds, in particular among emotionally lonely forensic psychiatric outpatients, may be important during future times of pandemics. For future research, it is recommended to examine the impact of adverse events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, over time and to include family perspectives. Given the novelty of COVID-19, more extensive research, combining quantitative and qualitative measurements, focusing on broader mental health aspects and criminal behavior, is recommended to elaborate clinical guidelines for forensic healthcare.
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