Veteran Community Engagement and Social Connection Needs Following Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitalization.

Objective: To understand barriers and facilitators to engaging in community activities for increasing social connectedness among recently psychiatrically hospitalized veterans, a population at elevated risk for suicide. Method: We completed 30 semistructured qualitative interviews with veterans within 1 week of discharge from inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. Our interviews focused on understanding past and current barriers, facilitators, and needs for engaging in community activities after psychiatric hospitalization. Data were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Results: Veterans shared feeling a lack of belonging and discussed several barriers to community engagement including lack of self-confidence, limited knowledge of opportunities, and negative expectations. Veterans identified several ways to facilitate engagement in community activities such as centralizing information on community activities and providing active support posthospitalization. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Veterans by and large valued community and the role of community activities for increasing social connectedness. However, more active intervention for supporting engagement in community activities appears necessary to facilitate connection posthospitalization. Impact and Implications: Engaging in community activities may be a helpful strategy to help veterans increase social connectedness after psychiatric hospitalization, a critical period for suicide risk. Veterans shared several barriers and facilitators that impact their future and current engagement in community activities. Clinicians may wish to pay special attention to historical challenges to connection and negative expectations as well as the need for active support for engaging in community activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]