Abstract
BackgroundIn an effort to reduce the high rate of suicide among post-9/11 veterans, a collaborative team within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has developed a holistic community-based health promotion program designed to facilitate social and self-connectedness. The purpose of this study was to elicit veteran and stakeholder feedback to prepare the program for piloting and implementation.MethodsFocus groups and interviews were conducted with post-9/11 veterans and veteran stakeholders (e.g., VA clinicians) to elicit feedback regarding the health promotion program. Focus groups and interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Qualitative thematic analysis identified key themes emerging from the focus groups and interviews.ResultsSeven focus groups (3 Veteran groups, 4 stakeholder groups) and 3 interviews (2 Veterans, 1 stakeholder) were conducted with 41 participants (14 veterans, 27 stakeholders). Overall, participants had a positive perception of the program. Thematic analysis revealed shared perspectives that provided insight into 1) enhancing program recruitment and retention, 2) the perceived ability of a health promotion program to provide more holistic, veteran-centered care, and 3) using health promotion programs to help veterans establish structure in their daily lives.ConclusionsFindings indicated an overall acceptance of the program, and participants’ perspectives on how to reduce barriers and enhance facilitators can inform the development of a larger-scale health promotion program that can be tested through future research. While discussion questions were specifically focused on the program in this study, findings can be considered more broadly for the design and implementation of related programs to effectively improve the health and wellness of post-9/11 veterans.
Highlights
In an effort to reduce the high rate of suicide among post-9/11 veterans, a collaborative team within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has developed a holistic community-based health promotion program designed to facilitate social and self-connectedness
While the findings from this study inform the ongoing development and future implementation of RECLAIM, many of the principles discussed are relevant for the design and implementation of other programs focused on health and wellness for post-9/11 veterans, including those aimed at reducing the risk of suicidal behaviors in this population
The findings from this study regarding the use of the word lifestyle and the negative feelings it elicited among our participants forced us to consider alternate wording to provide a clear and more positive perception of RECLAIM to veterans
Summary
Veterans frequently face a sense of disconnectedness in their social lives (i.e., loneliness, social isolation) and personal lives (i.e., self-connectedness – lack of purpose or goals) when they leave the military [1,2,3,4]. This lack of connectedness, both social and self, has been established as a risk factor for suicidal behaviors [5]. A limited number of interventions purposefully target psychological well-being to reduce the risk of suicidal behaviors [13]
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