The lived experience of people with mental health and substance misuse problems: Dimensions of belonging

Abstract

Introduction

People with co-occurring mental health and substance misuse problems are among the most excluded in society. A need to feel connected to others has been articulated in the occupational science literature although the concept of belonging itself has not been extensively explored within this paradigm. This paper reports findings from research that explored the meaning and experience of belonging for four people living with dual diagnosis in the United Kingdom.

Method

Researchers employed an interpretative phenomenological approach to the study. Four semistructured interviews were carried out. The interviews were guided by questions around the meaning of belonging, barriers to belonging and how belonging and not belonging impacted on participants’ lives. Data analysis facilitated the identification of themes across individual accounts and enabled comparisons.

Findings

Data analysis identified four themes – belonging in family, belonging in place, embodied understandings of belonging and barriers to belonging.

Conclusion

The findings add further insights into the mutable nature of belonging. A link between sense of belonging and attachment theory has been proposed, along with a way to understand the changeable and dependent nature of belonging through ‘dimensions of belonging’.