Quantifying relational change in community organisations participating in a Veteran suicide prevention learning collaborative: A social network analysis

Bryann B. Debeer, Patricia D. Russell, Joseph Mignogna, Nathaniel Mohatt, Elisa Borah, Craig J. Bryan, Lindsey Monteith, Alan Peterson, Andy Zheng, Sara Sprong, Kathryn Bongiovanni, Edgar Villareal, Claire A. Hoffmire, Jenna Heise, Sylvia Baack, Kimberly Weinberg, Marcy Polk, Tabitha Alverio, Meredith Mealer, Juliana ScheihingJustin Benzer, Danielle Varda

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Veteran suicide remains a significant issue, as 17.5 Veterans die by suicide each day. The US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has implemented a robust suicide prevention program within its integrated behavioural health system. Further, the VA has increasingly contributed to suicide prevention in community settings, where a large proportion of Veterans receive health care and social services. One component integral to preventing suicide among Veterans receiving community services is ensuring that organisations are equipped with the latest evidence-based Veteran-specific suicide prevention strategies. Methods: The Patient Safety Center of Inquiry-Suicide Prevention Collaborative piloted a Veteran suicide prevention learning collaborative in the Denver/Colorado Springs, CO region, spanning 16 months as a multimodal initiative to integrate community organisations and assist them in implementing Veteran suicide prevention strategies used within VA. Agencies completed social network analysis surveys at baseline (T1), year 1 (T2) and 16 months (T3) to examine social networks, partnerships and collaborations among community organisations and the VA over time. Results: The quantity of learning collaborative relationships increased from 30 at T1 to 41 at T3 while the quality of relationships deepened over time from awareness and cooperative to more coordinated and integrated. Conclusion: Improvement in relationship quantity and quality facilitates community organisation engagement in collaborating to strengthen their Veteran suicide prevention programming. Learning collaboratives work with the individual organisation for intraorganisational facilitation of implementing suicide prevention strategies and engage and enhance interorganisational partnerships. This multimodal intervention can engage community organisations and provide a stronger safety net for Veterans at risk for suicide.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numberip-2023-045194
JournalInjury Prevention
DOIs
StateAccepted/In press - 2024

Keywords

  • Dissemination
  • Implementation / Translation
  • Public Health
  • Social Network Analysis
  • Suicide/Self?Harm

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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