A comparison of the health and mental health status of homeless mothers in Worcester, Mass: 1993 and 2003
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Family Medicine and Community HealthCenter for Mental Health Services Research
Clinical and Population Health Research
Department of Psychiatry
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2006-07-01Keywords
AdultAid to Families with Dependent Children
Community Health Centers
Family Characteristics
Female
Health Status
*Health Surveys
Homeless Persons
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Massachusetts
Mental Disorders
Middle Aged
Mothers
Poverty
Prevalence
Socioeconomic Factors
United States
*Women's Health
Psychiatry
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
OBJECTIVES: We assessed background characteristics, health status, and prevalence rates of mental health disorders in 2 studies of homeless mothers conducted in Worcester, Mass, one in 1993 and the other in 2003. METHODS: We compared the women taking part in the 2 studies, which involved similar methodologies, on the key variables of interest over time. RESULTS: Homeless families taking part in the 2003 study were poorer than those taking part in the 1993 study, and female heads of household in that study reported more physical health limitations, major depressive illness, and posttraumatic stress disorder. CONCLUSION: Data from 2003 suggest that the characteristics of homeless mothers changed over the 10-year period assessed. Service providers and shelter staff may need to refine services so that they are responsive to these changing needs.Source
Am J Public Health. 2006 Aug;96(8):1444-8. Epub 2006 Jun 29. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.2105/AJPH.2005.069310Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/45604PubMed ID
16809590Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.2105/AJPH.2005.069310
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