title: Use of outpatient mental health services by homeless veterans after hurricanes.
abstract: Little is known about the impact of hurricanes on people who are homeless at the time a disaster occurs. Although researchers have extensively studied the psychosocial consequences of disaster produced homelessness on the general population, efforts focused on understanding how homeless people fare have been limited to a few media reports and the gray literature. In the event of a hurricane, homeless veterans may be at increased risk for negative outcomes because of their cumulative vulnerabilities. Health care statistics consistently document that homeless veterans experience higher rates of medical, emotional, substance abuse, legal, and financial problems compared with the general population. This study used the 2004 to 2006 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Outpatient Medical Dataset to examine the effects of hurricanes on use of outpatient mental health services by homeless veterans. Homeless veterans residing in hurricane-affected counties were significantly more likely to participate in group psychotherapy (32.4% vs. 13.4%, p < .002), but less likely to participate in individual 30-40-min sessions with medical evaluations (3.5% vs. 17.3%, p < .001). The study findings have implications for homeless programs and the provision of VHA mental health services to homeless veterans postdisaster.
authors: School of Aging Studies, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33556, USA. lmb@usf.edu
authors: Lisa M
authors: LM
authors: Brown
authors: Scott
authors: S
authors: Barnett
authors: Edward
authors: E
authors: Hickling
authors: Kathryn
authors: K
authors: Frahm
authors: Robert R
authors: RR
authors: Campbell
authors: Ronald
authors: R
authors: Olney
authors: John A
authors: JA
authors: Schinka
authors: Roger
authors: R
authors: Casey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult