Core Dimensions of Social Inclusion for Residents with Mental Health and/or Substance Use Challenges: A Qualitative Meta-synthesis

Promoting social inclusion of persons with mental health and/or substance use challenges is a political priority. Despite this, this group continues to face multiple obstacles to feeling socially included. Considering the importance of experiencing social inclusion for a person’s recovery process and quality of life, an in-depth understanding of what characterizes social inclusion for this group is warranted. This meta-synthesis aimed to synthesize the qualitative findings from original research papers addressing social inclusion in a supported housing context from the perspectives of residents with mental health and/or substance use challenges.. This meta-synthesis was designed according to the recommendations of Sandelowski and Barroso (2007). Systematic searches in databases were conducted in Ovid Medline, Embase, CINAHL Complete, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. Fourteen papers met the inclusion criteria and were included. The extracted data were analyzed in line with Graneheim and Lundman’s (2004) descriptions of qualitative content analysis. The analysis resulted in three overarching categories describing core dimensions of residents’ experiences with social inclusion: having access to core resources, participating actively oneself, and being existentially anchored. All categories contained sub-categories. Based on the findings, a new multidimensional conceptualization of social inclusion in a supported housing context was developed.