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From the (Dis)comfort of One’s Own Home: Patients’ Experiences of Hospitalization After Discharge. A Qualitative Study of Lived Experience of Hospitalization from the Perspective of People with a Mental Health Disorder

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the role of inpatient treatment in the recovery process and explore how patients view hospitalization when looking back after 3 months. The study was developed within a framework of user-involved research; all stages of the research process involved cooperation with service user coresearchers. Fourteen patients were recruited, all of whom had been in inpatient treatment for at least 3 weeks. The findings are based on analyses of interviews with the participants 3 months after discharge. Three key themes reflected the participants’ experiences when looking back at their hospitalization 3 months after being discharged: (i) A break from everything “out there”; (ii) A safety net to catch me if I fall; and (iii) From being looked after to taking responsibility for yourself. The transition from being an inpatient to returning home can be hard. Findings suggest that belonging to a social network plays an important role in recovery, and that this might be a meaningful focus during admission.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the patients who participated in the study and the staff at the three different mental health clinics who gave us access to the ward. We are grateful to the co-researcher group for bringing a deeper understanding to the phenomenon. In this project, the co-researcher methodology strengthen the project.

Funding

Department of Health and Care Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Førde.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Care Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Førde, Norway

    Kari Eldal, Eli Natvik & Christian Moltu

  2. Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Marius Veseth

  3. Program for Recovery and Community Health, School of Medicine and Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University, New Haven, USA

    Larry Davidson

  4. Department of Psychiatry, District General Hospital of Førde, Førde, Norway

    Christian Moltu

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  1. Kari Eldal
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  2. Eli Natvik
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  4. Larry Davidson
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  5. Christian Moltu
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Contributions

LD was not a part of the core research team, provided scientific advice in designing and conducting the study, including manuscript preparation. EN, MV and CM were involved in analysis and manuscript preparation. KE contributed to all phases of the study. We confirm that all authors listed meet the authorship criteria according to the latest guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, and all authors are in agreement with the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kari Eldal.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

The Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics approved the study (2016/30 REKvest).

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Eldal, K., Natvik, E., Veseth, M. et al. From the (Dis)comfort of One’s Own Home: Patients’ Experiences of Hospitalization After Discharge. A Qualitative Study of Lived Experience of Hospitalization from the Perspective of People with a Mental Health Disorder. J. Psychosoc. Rehabil. Ment. Health 6, 187–198 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40737-019-00143-x

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