title: Individual, Housing, and Neighborhood Predictors of Psychological Integration Among Vulnerably Housed and Homeless Individuals.
abstract: The current longitudinal study evaluated the individual, housing, and neighborhood characteristics predictive of feeling psychologically integrated within one's neighborhood among a population of homeless and vulnerably housed individuals. Participants were recruited at homeless shelters, meal programs, and rooming houses in Ottawa, Canada and participated in three in-person interviews, each approximately 1 year apart. Prospective and cross-sectional predictors of psychological integration at Follow-up 1 and Follow-up 2 were examined. There were 397 participants at baseline, 341 at Follow-up 1 and 320 at Follow-up 2. A hierarchical multiple regression uncovered several significant predictors of psychological integration. The most salient and common predictors were being older, having greater social support, living in high quality housing, and residing in a neighborhood with a positive impact. Implications for service provision and policy advancements are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. jecke081@uottawa.ca.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ecker
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.|School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aubry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D062309:Community Integration; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012933:Social Identification; D012944:Social Support; D066252:Sociological Factors; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Community integration; Homeless; Psychological integration; Sense of community; Vulnerably housed