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Homeless
Terms modified by Homeless Selected AbstractsSurvey findings on characteristics and health status of clients treated by the federally funded (US) Health Care for the Homeless ProgramsHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 1 2009Cheryl Zlotnick RN DrPH Abstract For almost two decades, the US Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) Program has funded clinics across the country for homeless populations. Between October and December 2003, for the first time ever, a nationally representative sample of the almost 200 HCH clinics with a response rate of approximately 71% (the HCH User Visit Survey) was created to examine the health status of its users (n = 1017). This study employed the HCH User Visit Survey's cross-sectional data set to evaluate health indicators of individuals using HCH Services with the US population, and compare individuals who reported they routinely used HCH clinics (,usual' HCH users) to those who did not (,non-usual' users). HCH users had poorer health status than the US population (44.0% versus 12.3%, respectively). Usual HCH users had similar healthcare status compared to non-usual users, but were more likely to be uninsured, non-English speakers, and walking or taking public transportation to their medical appointments. Usual versus non-usual HCH users were also more apt to have slept in cars, buses or on the streets in the week prior to the survey (14.8% versus 4.3%, respectively). This study shows that the HCH clinics are serving homeless individuals who have a variety of complex health and psychosocial needs, and its most frequent users are those who experience the most barriers accessing care. [source] Predicting overt and covert antisocial behaviors: parents, peers, and homelessness,JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Carolyn J. Tompsett Parental deviance, parental monitoring, and deviant peers were examined as predictors of overt and covert antisocial behaviors. Homeless (N=231) and housed (N=143) adolescents were assessed in adolescence and again in early adulthood. Homelessness predicted both types of antisocial behaviors, and effects persisted in young adulthood. Parental deviance predicted only overt antisocial behaviors in adolescence, and was fully mediated by parental monitoring. Parental monitoring predicted both types of antisocial behaviors in adolescence, and was partially mediated by peer deviance. Parenting and peer influences did not consistently predict antisocial behaviors in adulthood. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Mental Disorders, Comorbidity, and Postrunaway Arrests Among Homeless and Runaway AdolescentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 3 2006Xiaojin Chen This study examined the associations between lifetime mental disorder, comorbidity, and self-reported postrunaway arrests among 428 (187 males, 241 females) homeless and runaway youth. The analysis examined the pattern of arrests across five lifetime mental disorders (alcohol abuse, drug abuse, conduct disorder, major depressive episode, and posttraumatic stress disorder). The adolescents, ranging from 16 to 19 years old, were interviewed directly on the streets and in shelters in four Midwestern states using computer-assisted personal interviewing. Extensive self-reports of early life history, behaviors since running away from home, and diagnostic interviewing (UM-CIDI and DISC-R) were used to estimate possible disorders. There was a high level of postrunaway arrests reported by the youth; more than half were arrested at least once after the initial runaway, with the average of 4.4 times. Consistent with the hypotheses, there were differential associations between individual mental disorders and involvement with the criminal justice system. Only externalizing disorders such as substance abuse and conduct disorder were related to arrest. Street youth with multiple externalizing and internalizing disorders were more likely to be arrested than nondisordered youths. [source] Health Care for the Homeless Assesses the Use of Adapted Clinical Practice GuidelinesJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS, Issue 11 2005Aaron J. Strehlow RN, FNP-C COLUMN EDITOR: Mary Jo Goolsby This article describes a process of evaluating and adapting existing clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for homeless individuals by different healthcare providers in multiple healthcare settings across the country. Data were collected using a standardized evaluation tool in nine sites across the United States. Clinicians completed an evaluation of the CPG after every use. Most clinicians used the CPG five times. Descriptive statistics were reported on the characteristics of the clinicians, and the utility of the guidelines and written comments. Clinicians had an average of 12 years of clinical experience, 8 years of which were specifically spent working with homeless individuals. Ninety-one percent of the clinicians practiced in urban settings. The majority of clinicians felt the adapted guidelines met evaluation criteria. The major weaknesses reported the delineation of outreach and case management activities. Results did not vary by clinicians' disciplines, years of experience, or any other indicators. Clients and clinicians providing primary care to homeless individuals may benefit from utilizing Health Care for the Homeless Clinicians' Network adapted CPGs to assure quality, evidenced-based care to a vulnerable population. [source] Witnessing and the Medical Gaze: How Medical Students Learn to See at a Free Clinic for the HomelessMEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2000Beverly Ann Davenport This article analyzes doctor-patient communication as it is taught to medical students in a student-run free clinic for the homeless. Moving beyond Foucault's concept of the medical gaze, it incorporates Byron Good's theorizing about the soteriological aspects of medicine and medical education as well as aspects of practice theory as illuminated by Anthony Giddens. Ethnographic examples illustrate the necessary tension between objectification and subject-making that exists in the specific practices engaged in by both students and preceptors at the clinic site. [doctor-patient communication, medical education, homelessness, Foucault, practice theory] [source] Commentary: A Consumer Perspective on Parenting While HomelessAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2009Gladys Fonfield-Ayinla BS No abstract is available for this article. [source] Commentary: A Provider Perspective on Supporting Parents Who Are HomelessAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2009Betty Schulz PNP-BC First page of article [source] Parent-Adolescent Violence and Later Behavioral Health Problems Among Homeless and Housed YouthAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2009Mason G. Haber PhD Parent-adolescent violence (i.e., violence between parents and adolescents) is an important pathway to homelessness and predicts poor behavioral health outcomes among youth. However, few studies have examined links between parent violence and outcomes among youth who are homeless. Existing research has also tended to ignore adolescent violence toward parents, despite evidence that mutual violence is common. The current study examines prospective links of parent-adolescent violence to outcomes among youth who were homeless and demographically matched youth, through two complementary substudies: (a) an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of items measuring parent and adolescent violence combined in the same analysis; and (b) an examination of predictive relationships between the factors identified in the EFA and behavioral health problems, including mental health and alcohol abuse problems. Predictive relationships were examined in the overall sample and by gender, ethnic, and housing status subgroups. Results of the EFA suggested that parent-adolescent violence includes intraindividual (i.e., separate parent and adolescent) physical components and a shared psychological component. Each of these components contributed uniquely to predicting later youth behavioral health. Implications for research and practice with youth who are homeless are discussed. [source] Examining the Impact of Parental Risk on Family Functioning Among Homeless and Housed FamiliesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2009Kimberly S. Howard PhD The present study used data from 132 families that were homeless and a comparison group of 434 housed families in order to compare family functioning across the two groups. Family functioning was assessed by family support workers when the families sought help from one of seven family service agencies in Washington, DC. Multiple regression models showed that there were few differences between homeless and housed families; a difference that did emerge showed that homeless families fared better than housed families in terms of children's developmental stimulation. However, when considering the compounding effects of additional family risk factors, adverse effects of homelessness were observed. As compared with housed families, homeless families with a history of parental mental illness had limited access to support networks and poorer interactions with their children. Poor financial and living conditions were observed among homeless families with histories of substance use. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed. [source] Parenting Adults Who Become Homeless: Variations in Stress and Social SupportAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2009Michael F. Polgar PhD This article focuses on the stressors of parenting an adult child who experiences homelessness. Parents whose adult children become homeless may provide support to this child, but they may also subsequently experience stress and require social support themselves. Findings from this study support the hypothesis that parents who spend more lime or money helping their homeless adult offspring experience higher levels of stress. Results also show higher levels of stress among parents who helped with activities of daily living and among parents who worked to prevent harm involving their adult homeless offspring. Among 37 respondents, a majority of whom were African American mothers parenting homeless sons, parents who engaged in activities to prevent harm and parents who experienced stress from harm prevention received more extensive social support. Health and social service providers should recognize and respond to the financial, emotional, and temporal burdens of parenting an adult who becomes homeless. Service providers can both support people who become homeless and reinforce larger family systems, particularly in circumstances that involve more extensive parental support or more harmful situations. [source] Paternal and Maternal Influences on Problem Behaviors Among Homeless and Runaway YouthAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2009Judith A. Stein PhD Using an Attachment Theory conceptual framework, associations were investigated among positive paternal and maternal relationships, and recent problem behaviors among 501 currently homeless and runaway adolescents (253 males, 248 females). Homeless and runaway youth commonly exhibit problem behaviors such as substance use, various forms of delinquency and risky sex behaviors, and report more emotional distress than typical adolescents. Furthermore, attachments to their families are often strained. In structural equation models, positive paternal relationships significantly predicted less substance use and less criminal behavior, whereas maternal relationships did not have a significant effect on or association with either behavior. Positive maternal relationships predicted less survival sex behavior. Separate gender analyses indicated that among the females, a longer time away from home was significantly associated with a poorer paternal relationship, and more substance use and criminal behavior. Paternal relations, a neglected area of research and often not addressed in attachment theory, should be investigated further. Attachments, particularly to fathers, were protective against many deleterious behaviors. Building on relatively positive relations and attachments may foster family reunifications and beneficial outcomes for at-risk youth. [source] Impact of assertive community treatment and client characteristics on criminal justice outcomes in dual disorder homeless individualsCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2005Dr Robert J. Calsyn PhD Background People with severe mental illness and substance use disorders (dual disorder) often have considerable contact with the criminal justice system. Aims To test the effects of client characteristics on six criminal justice outcomes among homeless (at intake) people with mental illness and substance misuse disorders. Methods The sample was of participants in a randomized controlled trial comparing standard treatment, assertive community treatment (ACT) and integrated treatment (IT). Data were analysed using hierarchical logistic regression. Results Half the sample was arrested and a quarter incarcerated during the two-year follow-up period. The regression models explained between 22% and 35% of the variance of the following criminal justice measures: (1) major offences, (2) minor offences, (3) substance-use-related offences, (4) incarcerations, (5) arrests, and (6) summons. Prior criminal behaviour was the strongest predictor of all of the dependent variables; in general, demographic and diagnostic variables were not. Similarly, neither the type nor the amount of mental health treatment received predicted subsequent criminal behaviour. Conclusion Elsewhere the authors have shown that ACT and IT had advantages for health and stability of accommodation but these analyses suggest that more specialized interventions are needed to reduce criminal behaviour in dual disorder individuals. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Schizophrenia in homeless persons: a systematic review of the literatureACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 6 2002D. Folsom Objective:,This article systematically reviews studies of prevalence of schizophrenia in homeless persons. Method:,Medline and PsychInfo were searched using the key words: homeless person, mental illness, psychosis, and schizophrenia. The bibliographies of identified articles were also reviewed. Results:,Study designs varied considerably. The rate of schizophrenia in homeless persons reported in the 33 published reports, representing eight different countries, ranged from 2 to 45%. In the 10 methodologically superior studies, the prevalence range was 4,16% and the weighted average prevalence was 11%. In addition, rates were higher in younger persons, women and the chronically homeless. Slightly less than half of the homeless persons with schizophrenia were not currently receiving treatment. Conclusion:,Schizophrenia is much more prevalent among homeless persons than in the population at large. Future research should focus on better ways of meeting the mental health care needs of homeless people with schizophrenia. [source] Prison Theology: A Theology of Liberation, Hope and JusticeDIALOG, Issue 3 2008Sadie Pounder Abstract:, In our nation today, the number of prisons and prisoners continue to grow at rates that are out-of-control. One in 100 of our citizens is in jail or prison, the highest ratio in the world. Unlike the poor, homeless, critically ill, and elderly, those in prison are separated from us to the degree they are unseen. Unseen also, is the oppressiveness of the criminal justice system that oversees more than 6.5 million people either in confinement or on probation or parole. Liberation theology, which advocates and works toward freeing people from oppression, includes feminist, black, womanist and Latino/Hispanic movements. This article proposes prison theology as part of the liberation theology family and identifies a prison theology based on liberation, hope and justice. It encourages a prison theology movement led by the church to liberate those under the oppressiveness of the criminal justice system, especially those confined and to energize a passion for justice and compassion for the oppressed throughout the criminal justice system. [source] Trends in morphine prescriptions, illicit morphine use and associated harms among regular injecting drug users in AustraliaDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 5 2006LOUISA DEGENHARDT Abstract This paper examines population trends in morphine prescriptions in Australia, and contrasts them with findings from annual surveys with regular injecting drug users (IDU). Data on morphine prescriptions from 1995 to 2003 were obtained from the Drug Monitoring System (DRUMS) run by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Data collected from regular IDU as part of the Australian Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) were analysed (2001,2004). The rate of morphine prescription per person aged 15,54 years increased by 89% across Australia between 1995 and 2003 (from 46.3 to 85.9 mg per person). Almost half (46%) of IDU surveyed in 2004 reported illicit morphine use, with the highest rates in jurisdictions where heroin was less available. Recent morphine injectors were significantly more likely to be male, unemployed, out of treatment and homeless in comparison to IDU who had not injected morphine. They were also more likely to have injected other pharmaceutical drugs and to report injection related problems. Among those who had injected morphine recently, the most commonly reported injecting harms were morphine dependence (38%), difficulty finding veins into which to inject (36%) and scarring or bruising (27%). Morphine use and injection is a common practice among regular IDU in Australia. In some cases, morphine may be a substitute for illicit heroin; in others, it may be being used to treat heroin dependence where other pharmacotherapies, such as methadone and buprenorphine, are perceived as being unavailable or undesirable by IDU. Morphine injection appears to be associated with polydrug use, and with it, a range of problems related to drug injection. Further research is required to monitor and reduce morphine diversion and related harms by such polydrug injectors. [source] A NOT SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY: THE FOSTER YOUTH TRANSITION FROM ADOLESCENCE INTO ADULTHOODFAMILY COURT REVIEW, Issue 2 2010Miriam Aroni Krinsky Every year close to 25,000 youth age out of our foster care system; without the anchor of a family, former foster youth disproportionately join the ranks of the homeless, incarcerated, and unemployed. While the average age of financial independence in America is twenty-six years of age, we presume that foster youth can somehow attain financial and emotional independence by age eighteen. Instead, these adolescents are woefully unprepared for independent adult life, and when they falter, too often no one is there to provide support or guidance. As a result, former foster youth are ten times more likely to be arrested than youth of the same age, race, and sex and one in four youth who age out of foster care will end up in jail within the first two years after leaving care. This article will discuss strategies for changing these disheartening outcomes for transitioning foster youth, including breaking down our silos and collectively taking charge of the lives of children in our care; keeping a watchful eye on data and outcomes and using that information to guide our actions; ensuring that the voices of youth are an ever-present part of decisions and processes that will chart their future; and educating ourselves about best practices and new approaches. This article also discusses new opportunities that now exist to support foster youth as they move into adulthood, including new federal legislation that,for the first time,will allow states to support foster youth beyond age eighteen. Finally, this article provides a backdrop for this Special Issue and summarizes the insightful articles and innovative thinking contained herein. [source] Epidemiologic Analysis of an Urban, Public Emergency Department's Frequent UsersACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 6 2000Joshua H. Mandelberg BA Abstract. Objectives: To determine how the demographic, clinical, and utilization characteristics of emergency department (ED) frequent users differ from those of other ED patients. Methods: A cross-sectional and retrospective cohort study was performed using a database of all 348,858 visits to the San Francisco General Hospital ED during a five-year period (July 1, 1993, to June 30, 1998). A "frequent user" visited the ED five or more times in a 12-month period. Results: Frequent users constituted 3.9% of ED patients but accounted for 20.5% of ED visits. The relative risk (RR) of frequent use was high among patients who were homeless (RR = 4.5), African American (RR = 1.8), and Medi-Cal sponsored (RR = 2.1). Frequent users were more likely to be seen for alcohol withdrawal (RR = 4.4), alcohol dependence (RR = 3.4), and alcohol intoxication (RR = 2.4). Frequent users were also more likely to visit for exacerbations of chronic conditions, including sickle cell anemia (RR = 8.0), renal failure (RR = 3.6), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (RR = 3.3). They were less likely to visit for all forms of trauma (RR = 0.43). Survival analysis showed that only 38% of frequent users for one year remained frequent users the next year. However, 56% of frequent users for two consecutive years remained frequent users in the third year. Conclusions: Frequent use of the ED reflects the urban social problems of homelessness, poverty, alcohol abuse, and chronic illness. Frequent use of the ED shows a high rate of decline from one year to the next. This rate of decline slows after the first year and suggests the existence of a smaller group of chronic frequent users. [source] Spaces of Utopia and Dystopia: Landscaping the Contemporary CityGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3-4 2002Gordon MacLeod Some of the most recent literature within urban studies gives the distinct impression that the contemporary city now constitutes an intensely uneven patchwork of utopian and dystopian spaces that are, to all intents and purposes, physically proximate but institutionally estranged. For instance, so,called edge cities (Garreau, 1991) have been heralded as a new Eden for the information age. Meanwhile tenderly manicured urban villages, gated estates and fashionably gentrified inner,city enclaves are all being furiously marketed as idyllic landscapes to ensure a variety of lifestyle fantasies. Such lifestyles are offered additional expression beyond the home, as renaissance sites in many downtowns afford city stakeholders the pleasurable freedoms one might ordinarily associate with urban civic life. None,the,less, strict assurances are given about how these privatized domiciliary and commercialized ,public' spaces are suitably excluded from the real and imagined threats of another fiercely hostile, dystopian environment ,out there'. This is captured in a number of (largely US) perspectives which warn of a ,fortified' or ,revanchist' urban landscape, characterized by mounting social and political unrest and pockmarked with marginal interstices: derelict industrial sites, concentrated hyperghettos, and peripheral shanty towns where the poor and the homeless are increasingly shunted. Our paper offers a review of some key debates in urban geography, planning and urban politics in order to examine this patchwork,quilt urbanism, In doing so, it seeks to uncover some of the key processes through which contemporary urban landscapes of utopia and dystopia come to exist in the way they do. [source] Opportunities for an improved role for nurses in psychoactive substance use: Review of the literatureINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 3 2004Annette M Nkowane RN RM BSc MA Nurses form a core component of many health care systems so their role in responding to problems related to psychoactive substance use is crucial. They are often under-utilized, mainly because of anxieties concerning role adequacy, legitimacy, lack of support and failure to implement interventions in a variety of settings. Nurses have unique opportunities through interactions they have with young people, families and significant others. Training and career preparation should encompass development of innovative strategies, taking a leading role in management of substance use patients, involvement in the treatment of the homeless mentally ill, HIV-infected individuals and persons with dual disorders of mental health and substance use. Future directions should focus on developing skills for critical thinking, preventive and therapeutic interventions, clinical judgement, effective organizational capacity and team work. Barriers such as scope of practice, authority, ethical and legal issues surrounding health care for substance use need to be addressed. [source] The Supervised Methadone and Resettlement Team nurse: an effective approach with opiate-dependent, homeless peopleINTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW, Issue 2 2001W. Mistral BSC. Abstract Homelessness and substance misuse have risen dramatically over the past 30 years in the UK. The role of the primary care nurse has been signalled as important in working with people who have drug and alcohol problems, and for improving the general health of homeless people. This article focuses on the role of the primary care nurse in a Supervised Methadone and Resettlement Team (SMART). The team works in central Bristol, in southwest England, with people who are homeless and using illegal opiates. The aim of this report is to provide descriptive information that demonstrates the value of the primary care nurse, working in a multiagency partnership, in dealing with the problems of this homeless population, many of whom have problems associated with illicit drug use. Client outcomes from a small sample of homeless persons are also described. [source] Mothering in Public: A Meta-Synthesis of Homeless Women With Children Living in SheltersJOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN PEDIATRIC NURSING, Issue 4 2003MPHArticle first published online: 24 AUG 200, Mikki Meadows-Oliver MSN ISSUES AND PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the current qualitative literature on homeless women with children living in shelters. METHODS Eighteen qualitative studies on homeless women with children living in shelters were included in the synthesis. The meta-synthesis was conducted using the meta-ethnographic approach of Noblit and Hare (1988). RESULTS Six reciprocal translations (themes) of homeless mothers caring for their children in shelters emerged: On becoming homeless, protective mothering, loss, stressed and depressed, survival strategies, and strategies for resolution. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS The results may be used by healthcare workers as a framework for developing intervention strategies directed toward helping mothers find new solutions to dealing with shelter living and innovative ways to resolve their homelessness. [source] Homelessness in the US and Germany: a cross-national analysis,JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2003Carolyn J. Tompsett Abstract A public opinion survey was administered by telephone to nationally representative samples in the US and Germany to assess prevalence of homelessness as well as attitudes, opinions and knowledge regarding homelessness. Lower prevalence rates were found in Germany as compared with the US. German respondents demonstrated higher levels of general compassion, greater support for the public rights of the homeless, a greater tendency to view the homeless as trustworthy, and were more likely to view economic factors and less likely to view personal failings as integral to the problem of homelessness. Respondent age, gender, and political affiliation predicted many public opinion variables. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Escaping homelessness: anticipated and perceived facilitators,JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2009Allisha Patterson One study with two distinct sections was conducted to identify factors facilitating escape from homelessness. In Section 1, 58 homeless individuals rated possible facilitators of escape (factors they believed would help them become more independent and self-sufficient). In Section 2, 80 participants who had already exited homelessness rated the same facilitators (factors that would have helped them become more independent and self-sufficient) and the importance of actual factors that facilitated escape. When rating factors in the hypothetical, both groups rated obtaining housing as being particularly important for facilitating movement toward independence. People formerly homeless who reported perceived facilitators of escape, however, also reported that their escape was facilitated by realization of their own abilities and potential to offer something to the world. The findings have implications for the design of community interventions helping individuals who are homeless. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Client choice of treatment and client outcomesJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2003Robert J. Calsyn Participants in this study suffered from severe mental illness and were homeless at baseline. They were given their choice of five different treatment programs. The current study investigated two major questions: (1) what is the impact of positive expectancies about the efficacy of the chosen program on number of contacts with the chosen program and client outcomes; and (2) what is the impact of positive views about nonchosen programs (alternative choice variables) on contact with the chosen program and client outcomes. Client outcomes assessed were psychotic symptoms, days homeless, and client satisfaction. Positive expectancy variables were the number of reasons for choosing a program and confidence that the program would help. Alternative choice variables were the number of nonchosen programs visited and the attractiveness of a nonchosen program. Only the number of reasons for choosing the program was significantly related to program contact with the chosen program. Both of the positive expectancy variables and program contact were significantly correlated with consumer satisfaction. In general, neither the positive expectancy variables nor the alternative choice variables predicted changes in psychotic symptoms nor days homeless. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 31: 339,348, 2003. [source] Social support, psychiatric symptoms, and housing: A causal analysisJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2002Robert J. Calsyn This study used structural equation modeling to examine the causal relationship between social support and each of three outcome variables: depression, psychotic symptoms, and stable housing. Two measures of social support were included in the models: natural support (family and friends) and professional support. Nearly 4,000 individuals from 18 cities in the United States provided data for this study. All participants were homeless at baseline and suffered from severe mental illness. Data were collected at baseline, 3 months, and 1 year. A reciprocal effects model best explained the causal relationship between social support and psychiatric symptoms. The social causation model best explained the relationship between social support and stable housing, such that increases in social support led to increases in stable housing. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Comparing adults in Los Angeles County who have and have not been homelessJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2001Michael R. Cousineau This study compares the formerly homeless with those who have not been homeless on several characteristics, based on a telephone survey of the general adulate population. The study was conducted in Los Angeles County. Researchers estimate how many and what percentage of adults (aged 18 or older) have been homeless in the past 5 years and the types of places people stayed while they were homeless. An estimated 370,000 adults have experienced homelessness within the past 5 years, 5.7% of the adult population (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.2,6.2). A third were literally homeless (in a shelter, street, or car). Just over half (56%) stayed with a friend or relative while homeless. Nine percent had a mixed experience. Compared to those who were not homeless, the formerly homeless are disproportionately poor, African American, not in the job market, on public assistance, and in poor health. There are few differences when comparing place of birth, citizenship status, or length of residence in Los Angeles County. Yet many homeless have been able to achieve some economic stability. Implications for the development of intervention and prevention programs are discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Social entrepreneurship: understanding consumer motives for buying The Big IssueJOURNAL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, Issue 3 2005Sally A. Hibbert Abstract This paper examines consumer response to a particular social entrepreneurship initiative, The Big Issue. Focusing on consumer motivation, the research explores the utilitarian value of the product as compared to the desire to help the homeless as the primary motivation for purchase. The research found that, although the utilitarian value partly motivated purchase, consumers widely perceived there to be a helping dimension to the exchange. Consumers valued the empowerment goals espoused by The Big Issue and found it rewarding to play a part in the empowerment process. The appearance and manner of The Big Issue vendors influenced consumer reactions to the initiative, indicating a need for careful management of ,beneficiary portrayal' in this context. [source] Mental Disorders, Comorbidity, and Postrunaway Arrests Among Homeless and Runaway AdolescentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 3 2006Xiaojin Chen This study examined the associations between lifetime mental disorder, comorbidity, and self-reported postrunaway arrests among 428 (187 males, 241 females) homeless and runaway youth. The analysis examined the pattern of arrests across five lifetime mental disorders (alcohol abuse, drug abuse, conduct disorder, major depressive episode, and posttraumatic stress disorder). The adolescents, ranging from 16 to 19 years old, were interviewed directly on the streets and in shelters in four Midwestern states using computer-assisted personal interviewing. Extensive self-reports of early life history, behaviors since running away from home, and diagnostic interviewing (UM-CIDI and DISC-R) were used to estimate possible disorders. There was a high level of postrunaway arrests reported by the youth; more than half were arrested at least once after the initial runaway, with the average of 4.4 times. Consistent with the hypotheses, there were differential associations between individual mental disorders and involvement with the criminal justice system. Only externalizing disorders such as substance abuse and conduct disorder were related to arrest. Street youth with multiple externalizing and internalizing disorders were more likely to be arrested than nondisordered youths. [source] The Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Later Sexual Victimization among Runaway YouthJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 2 2001Kimberly A. Tyler Path analysis was used to investigate the impact of childhood sexual abuse on later sexual victimization among 372 homeless and runaway youth in Seattle. Young people were interviewed directly on the streets and in shelters by outreach workers in youth service agencies. High rates of both childhood sexual abuse and street sexual victimization were reported, with females experiencing much greater rates compared with their male counterparts. Early sexual abuse in the home increased the likelihood of later sexual victimization on the streets indirectly by increasing the amount of time at risk, deviant peer affiliations, participating in deviant subsistence strategies, and engaging in survival sex. These findings suggest that exposure to dysfunctional and disorganized homes place youth on trajectories for early independence. Subsequently, street life and participation in high-risk behaviors increases their probability of sexual victimization. [source] Psychological Research on Homelessness in Western Europe: A Review from 1970 to 2001JOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 3 2007Pierre Philippot The rapidly growing, but still small, research literature on homelessness in Europe has often been provided by non-academics, using qualitative methods, and has been published in sources that are not widely available. This article summarizes definitions employed, observed prevalence, the socio-demographic characteristics, and the physical and mental health status of the homeless in Western Europe. Research pertaining to the causes of homelessness and the societal response to the problem are also reviewed, and the ethical and methodological questions raised by European researchers are debated. A critical analysis of the largely descriptive European research is provided, and some noteworthy exceptions are described. We also discuss a number of promising theoretical models, including those that focus on learned helplessness, social strain, and social stress. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||