Substance Misuse, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicide Attempts Among a National Sample of Homeless

Dietz, Tracy L.

doi:10.1080/01488376.2011.524511

Cited by 21 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Although recent studies continue to use the NSHAPC data (e.g., Dietz ; Lee and Greif ), they were collected nearly 20 years ago and their contemporary relevance can be questioned. National estimates compiled annually by HUD with administrative records from local Continuum of Care (CoC) agencies provide the best comparative touchstone regarding population composition (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress, Coping, and Mental Health Differences among Homeless People

Lippert

Lee

2015

Sociological Inquiry

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People who are chronically homeless are assumed to have higher rates of mental health problems than episodically or new-entry homeless individuals. It is unclear to what extent early-life and current stressors account for this disadvantage. Guided by cumulative disadvantage theory and stress research, we analyze data from a national study of the US homeless population to examine how stressors and coping resources throughout the life course are implicated in differences among homeless people in psychiatric disorders and alcohol or other drug abuse disorders. Logistic regression analysis reveals that new-entry homeless persons are less likely than their chronically and episodically homeless counterparts to have current psychiatric disorders. This is explained by stressors and coping resources experienced in childhood and during adult homeless spells. Alcohol and other drug abuse is common but comparable across the three homeless types and shares an association with selected stress and coping measures. Findings lend credibility to an accumulation of risks perspective, highlighting how past as well as contemporaneous stressors are related to the mental health of homeless people.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress, Coping, and Mental Health Differences among Homeless People

Lippert

Lee

2015

Sociological Inquiry

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“…6 A meta-analysis of studies conducted in the United States and worldwide showed that alcohol dependence affects a mean of 38% of homeless adults, 7 which exceeds the prevalence in the U.S. general population by more than 10-fold. 8 Homeless individuals are also often affected by comorbid psychiatric conditions, other substance use (e.g., drug abuse and dependence), and/or medical disorders that may exacerbate alcohol-related problems.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Housing First Is Associated with Reduced Use of Emergency Medical Services

Mackelprang¹,

Collins²,

Clifasefi³

2014

Prehospital Emergency Care

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Objective Chronically homeless adults with severe alcohol problems are disproportionately burdened with healthcare problems and are high utilizers of emergency medical services (EMS). Single-site Housing First (HF), which provides immediate, permanent, low-barrier, nonabstinence-based, supportive housing, has been associated with reduced publicly funded service utilization. The aims of the current study were to determine whether time spent in single-site HF predicted decreases in EMS contacts 2 years subsequent to single-site HF move-in, and to describe medical conditions and injuries associated with EMS contacts in a sample of chronically homeless individuals with severe alcohol problems. Methods Participants were 91 chronically homeless adults with severe alcohol problems who were enrolled in a single-site HF program between December 2005 and March 2007 in Seattle, Washington. We obtained administrative data on exposure to HF and EMS utilization for the 2 years prior to and the 2 years subsequent to participants’ move-in date. EMS utilization variables included patient type (i.e., primary presenting problem), trauma/injury mechanism (i.e., EMS classification of the cause of the trauma or injury), level of care (i.e., basic life support, advanced life support), and transport destination. Results After controlling for baseline EMS contacts, participants evinced 3% fewer EMS contacts for each additional month of single-site HF exposure. From the baseline to follow-up period, the mean number of EMS contacts declined from 15.85 (SD = 22.96) to 9.54 (SD = 15.08), representing a 54% reduction in the number of EMS contacts. Most calls were responded to by EMTs providing basic life support, and the majority resulted in transport to a local level I trauma center. The most common presenting difficulties were medical illness and trauma. Substance use and psychiatric difficulties were infrequently documented as the primary problem. Conclusions Our findings support recent assertions that housing is health care and indicate that the amount of time spent in single-site HF is associated with significant reductions in EMS utilization for at least 2 years subsequent to move-in. These findings also underscore the high levels of medical illness and trauma exposure among chronically homeless adults with severe alcohol problems.

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“…Furthermore, alcohol and drug use is common among the homeless population. In one study based on a nationally representative sample, Dietz () found that the percentage of homeless adults who reported having a lifetime alcohol problem and a lifetime drug problem were, respectively, 63% and 60%. Homeless adults also experience more relationship problems, such as higher levels of social isolation, than nonhomeless adults (Burkey, Kim, & Breakey, ; Hwang et al., ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sources of Psychological Pain and Suicidal Thoughts Among Homeless Adults

Coohey

Easton

Kong

et al. 2014

Suicide & Life Threat Behav

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Homeless adults experience problems in multiple areas of their lives. It was hypothesized that adults who were troubled by problems in more areas of their lives would be more likely to report suicidal thoughts. The sample included 457 homeless men and women who resided in three emergency shelters. The number of sources of psychological pain, past suicide attempts, and being a man predicted current suicidal thoughts, but being diagnosed with a depressive disorder did not. Shelter workers should ask adults whether they have attempted suicide in the past and how troubled they are by each area of their lives.

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Substance Misuse, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicide Attempts Among a National Sample of Homeless

Cited by 21 publications

References 56 publications

Stress, Coping, and Mental Health Differences among Homeless People

Stress, Coping, and Mental Health Differences among Homeless People

Housing First Is Associated with Reduced Use of Emergency Medical Services

Sources of Psychological Pain and Suicidal Thoughts Among Homeless Adults

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