Search

Although research has documented the endemic nature of psychological distress among homeless people, little is known about the variation of and change in distress when psychiatric disabilities and housing status are considered. Using longitudinal data from a homeless sample, the author examined the pattern of distress across three groups--people with serious mental illness (SMI), people with drug or alcohol problem, and people with neither diagnosis. Distress symptoms were most pervasive and persistent among people with SMI. The effect of housing status on distress differed across the three groups and was statistically significant for people with no psychiatric diagnosis.

Relations among stressors, resources, and psychological distress were examined using two waves of data obtained from a probability sample of homeless persons (N = 430) residing in a large, demographically diverse county in North California. The focus of research was to examine whether and how social resources and housing resources directly affect distress and mediate the impact of stress factors on depressive symptoms. Path analysis results revealed that levels of psychological distress were responsive to change in objective housing circumstances, with the attainment of domicile status being associated with fewer distress symptoms. Our findings, however, indicated only modest effects of social resources on psychological distress through direct effects and mediating effects of life stressors on distress. Overall, the study suggests that the relationships among stressors, resources, and distress for homeless persons may be understood within the same analytical framework for the general population.