Search Library
Publication Date: 2018
Objective
Young adults living in single room occupancy (SRO) hotels, a form of low-income housing, are known to have complex health and substance problems compared to their peers in the general population. The objective of this study is to comprehensively describe the mental, physical, and social health profile of young adults living in SROs.
Methods
This study reports baseline data from young adults aged 18–29 years, as part of a prospective...
Publication Date: 2017
Background and Aims
Evidence supports the effectiveness of Housing First (HF) programs for people who are experiencing homelessness and mental illness; however, questions remain about its use in people with comorbid substance use disorders (SUD). The aim of this project was to test whether SUD modifies the effectiveness of an HF intervention.
Design
Secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of HF versus treatment-as-usual (TAU...
Publication Date: 2017
Background
Homeless individuals with mental illness are challenging to recruit and retain in longitudinal research studies. The present study uses information from the Vancouver site of a Canadian multi-city longitudinal randomized controlled trial on housing first interventions for homeless individuals. We were able to recruit 500 participants and retain large number of homeless individuals with mental illness; 92% of the participants completed...
Publication Date: 2015
Background:
Homeless individuals are an extremely vulnerable and underserved population characterized by overlapping problems of mental illness and substance use. Given the fact that mood disorders are frequently associated with substance use disorders, we wanted to further highlight the role of excitement in substance abuse. Patterns of substance abuse among homeless suffering from unipolar and bipolar depression were compared. The “self-medicat...
Publication Date: 2017
Introduction
Links between Bipolar Disorder (BD) and medical conditions are increasingly reported. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a prevalent medical condition found in homeless populations.
Aim
This paper examines the correlation between the presence of BD and TBI, comparing homeless affected by Bipolar Disorder, Unipolar Depression (UD) and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD), controlled for other TBI risk factors such as age, gender, comorb...
Publication Date: 2014
It is well known that homeless individuals are at risk for a variety of health problems, including sexually transmissible infections. Optimisation of health services for the homeless requires knowledge of their sexual health. The sexual health and sexual vulnerability factors of 500 homeless adults (196 women) were assessed in a cross-sectional survey in three Canadian cities. Our data indicate that a significant proportion of individuals and mor...
Publication Date: 2014
This study examined religious behaviors in 380 homeless individuals. We hypothesized that higher frequency of religious attendance is associated with lower rates of use of all substances, lower rates of drug and alcohol dependence, and lower psychological distress. Individuals attending religious ceremonies at least weekly ("frequent attendees") were compared to infrequent attendees. Participants also provided qualitative information about their...
Publication Date: 2014
Substance use disorders (SUDs) are highly prevalent in homeless populations, and rates are typically greater among males. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common co-occurring condition among individuals with SUDs; however, little attention has been directed to examining this comorbidity in homeless populations. Although some studies indicate considerable sex differences among individuals with PTSD, it has also been suggested that sex dif...
Publication Date: 2016
Objective:
To examine the factors associated with incident traumatic brain injury (TBI) among homeless and vulnerably housed persons over a 3-year follow-up period.
Setting and participants:
Data were obtained from the Health and Housing in Transition study, which tracked the health and housing status of 1190 homeless or vulnerably housed individuals in 3 Canadian cities for 3 years.
Design and Main Measures:
Main measure was self-reported incide...
Publication Date: 2016
Mental illness and substance use are overrepresented within urban homeless populations. This paper compared substance use patterns between homeless individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum (SS) and bipolar disorders (BD) using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. From a sample of 497 subjects drawn from Vancouver, Canada who participated in the At Home/Chez Soi study, 146 and 94 homeless individuals were identified as BD an...
Publication Date: 2016
Objective: Although youth homelessness presents a significant public health problem, the needs of homeless youths with mental illness, as distinct from adults, are not well understood. This study examined the unique demographic, clinical, and service use characteristics of homeless youths.
Methods: At Home/Chez Soi was a large randomized controlled trial of the Housing First model in five cities in Canada. Of 2,255 participants, 7% (N=164) were y...
Publication Date: 2015
Objectives: This paper presents an analysis of the frequency and rates of substance use of 500 homeless individuals in three different geographic homeless populations in British Columbia, Canada: Vancouver, Victoria, and Prince George.
Methods: The Maudsley Addiction Profile (MAP) was administered to measure substance use, and chi-squared tests were used to evaluate the significance level of substance use in each city.
Results: The findings revea...
Publication Date: 2015
Purpose
Previous cross-sectional studies have indicated that homeless individuals may present with high rates of suicidal ideation, which are strongly associated with completed suicide. We conducted the first known longitudinal study of suicidal ideation in the homeless.
Methods
We used data collected over 24 months in the Vancouver At Home project (N = 497), comprised two randomized-controlled trials of housing interventions for homeless indi...
Publication Date: 2015
Background
Women living in poor and vulnerable neighbourhoods like Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) face multiple burdens related to the social determinants of health. Many of them struggle with addiction, are involved in the sex trade and experience homelessness and gender-based violence. Such evidence suggests that psychological trauma is also a common experience for these women.
Methods
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore...
Publication Date: 2015
Objective
Morbidity and mortality among homeless individuals is higher than the general population. This study aims to determine the prevalence of current sel f-reported, chronic physical health conditions in a large sample of homeless people with sub-sa mples from shelters and street in British Columbia, Canada.
Methods
Cross-sectional survey applying modified version of the ‘National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC)’...
Publication Date: 2014
This study investigates 500 homeless adults and the associations between childhood maltreatment types and the age of first reported homelessness episode. Those first experiencing homelessness in youth (age 24 years or younger; 46%) were compared with those first experiencing homelessness at a later age (older than age 24 years). In individual models, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and emotional neglect were associated with first experiencing ho...
Publication Date: 2013
Patients with addictions and concurrent disorders constitute the most underserved population in the system of care. There are numerous reasons why this population has so much difficulty accessing services, including behavioural issues, criminal engagement, and non-compliance with outpatient services. To improve services to this population which is marked by multiple morbidities, high mortality and insufficient access to health care, the governmen...
Publication Date: 2013
This study used an experimental design to examine longitudinal changes in subjective quality of life (QoL) among homeless adults with mental illness after assignment to different types of supported housing or to treatment as usual (TAU, no housing or supports through the study). We hypothesized that subjective QoL would improve over time among participants assigned to supported housing as compared to TAU, regardless of the type of supported housi...
Publication Date: 2012
The Downtown Eastside (DTES) of Vancouver is the subject of considerable research due to high rates of drug use, poverty, crime, infectious disease, and mental illness. This paper first presents a brief background to the DTES and then presents a survey of literature addressing the issues in this area from 2001 to 2011. The literature surveyed includes a range of publications such as those from peer-reviewed journals and the grey literature of rep...
Publication Date: 2012
Substance use can be a barrier to stable housing for homeless persons with mental disorders. We examined DSM-IV symptoms among homeless adults (N = 497), comparing those who reported daily substance use (DSU) with non-daily substance users. Multivariable linear regression modeling was used to test the independent association between DSU and symptoms using the Colorado Symptom Index total score. DSU was independently associated with higher symptom...