This study looks at the correlation between mental health status of homeless women and their ethnicity. The hypothesis being tested is whether ethnic differences exist in the relationship between the predisposing and enabling domains of the Gelberg-Andersen Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations and mental distress. Face-to-face interviews were conducted on 821 women in the Los Angeles area. The sample was sixty seven percent African American, 17% Hispanic, and 16% White. Due to the nature of the study, the methodology used is the best way to collect accurate data from the sample being looked at. Various research studies have concluded that a high rate of mental distress exists among homeless women in the United States. The cause of
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They were selected from 50 shelters and 16 meal programs providing services to homeless individuals in Los Angeles County. To be an eligible participant in this study, women had to have spent any of the past 30 days in a mission, shelter, church, indoor public place, abandoned building, vehicle, on the street or other public place. The interview asked questions going back 30 days, 60 days, and one year on various incidents that may have happened to the women.
The survey was designed to measure traditional and vulnerable areas of the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations. This Behavioral Model explains ‘need’ (perceived or evaluated health status) in terms of predisposing the homeless to good health (demographics, social structure, health history) and factors that enable good health (social support, health insurance, having a regular source of care, income). This model has been used in many well-established measures that have previously been widely used within the homeless population. Psychological distress was measured with the Mental Health Index (MHI-5). Using a 6-point scale ranging from “all the time: to “none of the time,” participants rated how often they experienced feeling: nervous, calm …show more content…
Face-to-face interviews were conducted with all eligible participants. Bivariate associations between ethnicity and all predisposing characteristics were tested using Chi-square tests for categorical variables and ANOVA (collection of statistical models used to analyze the differences between group means and their variation" among and between groups) for continuous measures with Bonferroni post hoc tests (consists of looking at the data—after the experiment has concluded—for patterns that were not specified earlier) for multiple comparisons. Multiple linear regression models separated by ethnicity were estimated to examine the influence of enabling domains of the Behavioral Model on the MHI-5. Mothers and non-mothers were also studied separately to reveal the impact of caring for children. Results show that White women reported the greatest mental distress followed by Hispanics. African American women reported the lowest mental distress scores. Of the overall sample, 45.6% of women displayed a score ≥34 which indicates the need for clinical evaluation. The percentage of women needing clinical evaluation are 51.3% of Whites, 51.0% of Hispanics, and 42.7% of African Americans. The interpretation of the results found in this study are explained thoroughly and broken down by section. This study also looked at enabling factors in each
They were selected from 50 shelters and 16 meal programs providing services to homeless individuals in Los Angeles County. To be an eligible participant in this study, women had to have spent any of the past 30 days in a mission, shelter, church, indoor public place, abandoned building, vehicle, on the street or other public place. The interview asked questions going back 30 days, 60 days, and one year on various incidents that may have happened to the women.
The survey was designed to measure traditional and vulnerable areas of the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations. This Behavioral Model explains ‘need’ (perceived or evaluated health status) in terms of predisposing the homeless to good health (demographics, social structure, health history) and factors that enable good health (social support, health insurance, having a regular source of care, income). This model has been used in many well-established measures that have previously been widely used within the homeless population. Psychological distress was measured with the Mental Health Index (MHI-5). Using a 6-point scale ranging from “all the time: to “none of the time,” participants rated how often they experienced feeling: nervous, calm …show more content…
Face-to-face interviews were conducted with all eligible participants. Bivariate associations between ethnicity and all predisposing characteristics were tested using Chi-square tests for categorical variables and ANOVA (collection of statistical models used to analyze the differences between group means and their variation" among and between groups) for continuous measures with Bonferroni post hoc tests (consists of looking at the data—after the experiment has concluded—for patterns that were not specified earlier) for multiple comparisons. Multiple linear regression models separated by ethnicity were estimated to examine the influence of enabling domains of the Behavioral Model on the MHI-5. Mothers and non-mothers were also studied separately to reveal the impact of caring for children. Results show that White women reported the greatest mental distress followed by Hispanics. African American women reported the lowest mental distress scores. Of the overall sample, 45.6% of women displayed a score ≥34 which indicates the need for clinical evaluation. The percentage of women needing clinical evaluation are 51.3% of Whites, 51.0% of Hispanics, and 42.7% of African Americans. The interpretation of the results found in this study are explained thoroughly and broken down by section. This study also looked at enabling factors in each