title: Mental health correlates of past homelessness in the National Comorbidity Study Replication.
abstract: This study uses data from a nationally representative epidemiologic survey, the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, to investigate the association of mental health and substance use disorders, along with other factors, with past homelessness. Approximately 5% of the 5,251 adults reported having been homelessness. Multivariate analysis showed the strongest independent risk factors for past homelessness were past receipt of welfare payments (odds ratio [OR]=5.7), incarceration for 27 or more days (OR=3.9), exposure to personal violence (OR=2.7), lifetime substance use disorder (OR=2.4), and Black race (OR=2.1). Several non-substance use psychiatric disorders were also significantly, if less strongly (OR 1.4 to 1.6), associated with past homelessness. Past homelessness is associated with a broad array of sociodemographic, economic, and mental health problems. While the association of both substance use and psychiatric disorders with past homelessness was quite strong, non-substance use psychiatric disorders was not as strong an independent risk factor as substance abuse disorders.
authors.affiliation: VA New England Mental Illness, Research, Education and Clinical Center, VAMC West Haven, Conn 06516, USA. greg.greenberg@yale.edu
authors.forename: Greg A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Rosenheck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011330:Prisons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000191:economics; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American