Intervention for homeless, substance abusing mothers: findings from a non-randomized pilot.
Little empirically-based information is available regarding how best to intervene with substance-abusing homeless mothers. This study pilot-tested a comprehensive intervention with 15 homeless women and their 2- to 6-year-old children, recruited from a local family shelter. All participants were offered integrated intervention with three major components. The first component was housing which included 3 months of rental and utility assistance, and these services were not contingent upon women's abstinence from drugs or alcohol. The second and third components included 6 months of case management services and an evidence-based substance abuse treatment (Community Reinforcement Approach; CRA). Analysis revealed that women showed reductions in substance use (F(2,22) = 3.63; p < .05), homelessness (F(2,24) = 25.31; p < .001), and mental health problems (F(2,20) = 8.5; p < .01). Further, women reported reduced internalizing (F(2,22) = 4.08; p < .05) and externalizing problems (F(2,24) = 7.7; p = .01) among their children. The findings suggest that the intervention is a promising approach to meet the multiple needs of this vulnerable population. These positive outcomes support the need for future research to replicate the findings with a larger sample using a randomized design.
Department of Human Development and Family Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. nslesnick@ehe.osu.edu
Natasha
N
Slesnick
Gizem
G
Erdem
D000328:Adult; D019090:Case Management; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome