Deborah K. Padgett

Housing First Services for People Who Are Homeless with Co-Occurring Serious Mental Illness and Substance Abuse.

The literature on homeless adults with severe mental illness is generally silent on a critical issue surrounding service delivery—the contrast between housing first and treatment first program philosophies. This study draws on data from a longitudinal experiment contrasting a housing first program (which offers immediate permanent housing without requiring treatment compliance or abstinence) and treatment first (standard care) programs for 225 adults who were homeless with mental illness in New York City. After 48 months, results showed no significant group differences in alcohol and drug use. Treatment first participants were significantly more likely to use treatment services. These findings, in combination with previous reports of much higher rates of housing stability in the housing first group, show that “dual diagnosed” adults can remain stably housed without increasing their substance use. Thus, housing first programs favoring immediate housing and consumer choice deserve consideration as a viable alternative to standard care.

Factors affecting the use of medical, mental health, alcohol, and drug treatment services by homeless adults.

This study describes use of medical, mental health, alcohol, and drug services by 832 adult residents of the New York City homeless shelter system and examines associations between service use during the past three months and an array of predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Utilization rates were 23% for medical services, 13% for mental health services, and 10 and 7.5% for alcohol and drug treatment services, respectively. Service contacts were more often hospitals than ambulatory care clinics. Logistic regression analyses revealed that need factors were stronger predictors of all four types of service use. Predisposing factors other than education and black ethnic status were not significant, and the enabling factor of enrollment in Medicaid and/or Medicare was significant only for use of medical and drug services. Among the need factors, measures of mental health status were analyzed as indices of distress to test a stress-utilization model of prediction for all four types of service use. While these measures did not predict use of nonmental health services, physical health problems were associated with use of all four types of services. Implications for future health services research and for service delivery to the homeless are discussed, including the need for more information on availability of services and on psychosocial and cultural characteristics of homeless persons that may affect their help-seeking behavior.

Substance Use Outcomes Among Homeless Clients with Serious Mental Illness: Comparing Housing First with Treatment First Programs

The Housing First (HF) approach for homeless adults with serious mental illness has gained support as an alternative to the mainstream “Treatment First” (TF) approach. In this study, group differences were assessed using qualitative data from 27 HF and 48 TF clients. Dichotomous variables for substance use and substance abuse treatment utilization were created and examined using bivariate and logistic regression analyses. The HF group had significantly lower rates of substance use and substance abuse treatment utilization; they were also significantly less likely to leave their program. Housing First’s positive impact is contrasted with the difficulties Treatment First programs have in retaining clients and helping them avoid substance use and possible relapse.

Predictors of emergency room use by homeless adults in New York City: The influence of predisposing, enabling and need factors

Employing data from a 1987 shelter survey of 1260 homeless adults in New York City, multivariate models of emergency room (ER) use are developed which include an array of risk factors for visiting a hospital ER including health and mental health problems, victimization and injuries. The studys primary goal is to identify factors that predict ER use in this population. Multivariate logistic and linear regression models were tested separately for men and women predicting three outcomes: any use of the ER during the past 6 months, use of the ER for injuries vs all other reasons (given any ER use), and the number of ER visits (given any ER use). Lower alcohol dependence, health symptoms and injuries were strong predictors for both men and women; other significant predictors differed markedly by gender. Both models were highly significant and produced strikingly high risk profiles. A high prevalence of victimization and injuries underlies ER use among the homeless. Based upon the findings, we recommend expanded health and victim services as well as preventive measures. Until primary care becomes available for this population, we advise against policies that discourage ER use by the homeless.

Correlates of self-efficacy beliefs among patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in Zagreb, Yugoslavia

Abstract Cross-cultural application of a measure of diabetic self-efficacy, the Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale (DSES), was carried out in a sample of 147 patients with noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) attending an outpatient clinic in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. A survey questionnaire covered the following demographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, self-and physician-rated adherence to the diabetic regimen, and diabetes self-efficacy (DSES). Disease-related factors, assessed by chart review, included disease duration, the presence of complications, and level of HbA1c. Correlational analyses revealed that, as hypothesized, behavioral and psychological factors were more strongly associated with self-efficacy beliefs than were disease-related factors. Higher DSES scores were associated with male gender, younger age, higher education, higher self-rated adherence, and lower depressive symptoms. Correlations between level of HbAl c and DSES scores and between HbAlc and adherence ratings were very weak. Findings are discussed in relation to previous studies on diabetes self-efficacy (all conducted in the United States) and as they relate to clinical practice.

Life Course Adversity in the Lives of Formerly Homeless Persons With Serious Mental Illness: Context and Meaning

This qualitative study assessed the frequency and subjective meaning of adverse experiences using case study analyses of interviews with 38 formerly homeless adults with co-occurring serious mental illness (SMI) and substance abuse histories. Adverse life events were inventoried using an adaptation of Lloyd and Turners (2008) 41-item checklist. Participants averaged 8.8 adverse events, with approximately one-third having experienced incarceration (37%), suicidality (32%), abandonment by one or both parents (30%), and death of their mother (34%). Cross-case analyses yielded 3 themes: social losses because of death and estrangement; the significance of chronic stressors as well as acute events; and the cumulative lifetime nature of adversity. Findings suggest that life course experiences of trauma and loss have a cumulative influence in the lives of this population in addition and in relation to SMI, substance abuse, and homelessness. In this context, the mental health recovery movement should address prior adverse experiences beyond comorbid diagnoses in this population.

A Picture Is Worth . . . ? Photo Elicitation Interviewing With Formerly Homeless Adults

We report on the use of photo elicitation interviewing (PEI) with 13 participants in a qualitative study of formerly homeless men and women with serious mental illness. Following a respondent-controlled approach, participants were asked to take up to 18 photographs visually portraying positive and negative aspects of their lives and to subsequently narrate the meaning of the photos in a one-on-one interview. Thematic analysis of the photos (N = 205) revealed two approaches to PEI: (a) a “slice of life” and (b) “then vs. now.” Examples show how PEIs yielded deeper, more elaborate accounts of participants’ lives compared to earlier verbal-only interviews. Participants spoke of the benefits of PEI and preferred taking positive as opposed to negative photographs depicting their lives. Implications of PEI as a means of complementing verbal-only data are discussed. By moving away from predetermined content and meaning, respondent-controlled PEIs enhance empowerment and enable creativity.

Permanent Supportive Housing: Addressing Homelessness and Health Disparities?

Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is an intervention to address long-term homelessness. Evidence has resulted in a shift in US policy toward using PSH rather than shelters and transitional housing. Despite recognizing that individuals transitioning from homelessness to PSH experience a high burden of disease and health disparities, public health research has not considered whether and how PSH improves physical health outcomes. Based on diverse areas of research, we argue that in addition to improved access to quality health care, social determinants of health (including housing itself, neighborhood characteristics, and built environment) affect health outcomes. We identify implications for practice and research, and conclude that federal and local efforts to end long-term homelessness can interact with concurrent efforts to build healthy communities.

Reevaluating the self-medication hypothesis among the dually diagnosed.

The self-medication hypothesis (SMH) is an intuitively appealing explanation for substance use. Conceptually, however, it is not always clear what the hypothesis entails, particularly when applied to persons with mental and substance use disorders. This makes empirical support for SMH difficult to evaluate. By classifying the self-reported reasons for substance use from 33 participants in a NIMH-funded qualitative study of dual diagnosis and homelessness, this study aims to evaluate the applicability of SMH. How one conceptualizes SMH will determine whether SMH is empirically supported. When SMH refers to using substances strictly to cope with symptoms of mental disorders, only 11 out of 72 attributions support it. When SMH refers to using substances to cope with painful feelings in general, more than half of all attributions support SMH. The significance of accurately understanding the various reasons people give for why they use substances is discussed.

Maslow and Mental Health Recovery: A Comparative Study of Homeless Programs for Adults with Serious Mental Illness

This mixed-methods study uses Maslow’s hierarchy as a theoretical lens to investigate the experiences of 63 newly enrolled clients of housing first and traditional programs for adults with serious mental illness who have experienced homelessness. Quantitative findings suggests that identifying self-actualization goals is associated with not having one’s basic needs met rather than from the fulfillment of basic needs. Qualitative findings suggest a more complex relationship between basic needs, goal setting, and the meaning of self-actualization. Transforming mental health care into a recovery-oriented system will require further consideration of person-centered care planning as well as the impact of limited resources especially for those living in poverty.