Prevalence and Factors Associated with Fear of COVID-19 Among Homeless Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from the Hamburg Survey of Homeless Individuals

Abstract

Purpose To clarify the prevalence and determinants of fear of COVID-19 among homeless individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and Methods Data were taken from the Hamburg survey of homeless individuals (n=150) covering homeless adults in Hamburg, Germany. Multiple linear regressions were used. Beyond sociodemographic and lifestyle-related independent variables, COVID-19-related factors were also used as independent variables. Results In sum, 56.2% of homeless individuals reported no fear of COVID-19, 23.8% reported a little fear of COVID-19, 9.2% reported some fear of COVID-19 and 10.8% reported severe fear of COVID-19. Regressions showed that an increased fear of COVID-19 was significantly associated with younger age (β=−.01, p<0.05), absence of chronic alcohol consume (β=−.55, p<0.01), an increased perceived own risk of getting infected with the coronavirus one day (β=0.42, p<0.001) and a higher agreement that a diagnosis of the coronavirus would ruin his/her life (β=0.13, p<0.01). Conclusion Given the poor hygienic conditions and their increased vulnerability, data surprisingly suggest a quite low fear of COVID-19 among homeless individuals. Efforts may be beneficial which contribute to thinking rationally about COVID-19 among homeless people, since low levels of fear of COVID-19 may contribute to careless behavior and can lead to super-spreading events.

A Scoping Review of the Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Persons Experiencing Homelessness in North America and Europe

“…Fear or perceived threat of COVID-19 among PEH was discussed by ten studies [ 12 , 13 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 ]. Fear varied across studies; in Los Angeles, 65% of tenants of permanent supportive housing surveyed by Henwood et al [ 85 ] in March 2020 regarded COVID-19 as a serious risk to their health, while 33% of those surveyed in Los Angeles by Kuhn et al [ 87 ] from December 2020 to February 2021 perceived it as a high threat.…”

“…One study by Rodriguez et al [ 12 ] reported that PEH in Tippecanoe County, Indiana had an overall low risk perception of COVID-19, while authors of a study in France found that PEH felt that the virus was indeed a threat but was not a major concern compared to the other risks they regularly faced [ 13 ]. Using data from Hamburg, Hajek et al [ 89 ] found that increased fear of COVID-19 among PEH was associated with younger age, absence of chronic alcohol consumption, increased perceived own risk of contracting the virus one day, and a higher agreement that a diagnosis of COVID-19 would ruin their life. Similarly, Henwood et al [ 85 ] reported that having a pre-existing health condition was associated with increased odds of perceiving COVID-19 as a serious health risk among PEH.…”

“…Active substance use among PEH during the pandemic was noted in 36 studies [ 8 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 20 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 38 , 47 , 51 , 61 , 62 , 68 , 72 , 76 , 81 , 82 , 84 , 88 , 89 , 92 , 94 , 96 , 99 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 107 , 108 , 110 , 113 , 114 , 115 ]. Substances used included alcohol [ 8 , 13 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 47 , 61 , 62 , 68 , 72 , 82 , 84 , 88 , 89 , 94 , 99 , 101 , 102 , 108 , 110 …”

“…,51,61,62,68,72,76,81,82,84,88,89,92,94,96,99,101-104,107,108,110,113-115]. Substances used included alcohol[8,13,23,25,26,47,61,62,68,72,82,84,88,89,94,99,101,102,108,110,115], tobacco…”

“COVID knocked me straight into the dirt”: perspectives from people experiencing homelessness on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…While a significant number of studies report trends in coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths [11], few consider the other numerous impacts of COVID-19 on people experiencing homelessness and scant have explored the impact from the perspective of people experiencing homelessness directly. Among the few studies that have qualitatively explored perspectives of people experiencing homelessness, most have been conducted outside the United States [12][13][14][15]. Findings from our previous work in Indiana [6] highlighted the need to hear and learn from people experiencing homelessness directly, in order to holistically understand the impact of the pandemic and to better inform responses that address the specific needs of this uniquely vulnerable population.…”