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Factors Associated with Poor Mental Health Status Among Homeless Women With and Without Dependent Children

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of mental health problems among a representative sample of homeless women with and without dependent children and determine if the effects of risk factors for mental health are modified by the presence of dependent children. Homeless women (n = 522) were recruited in 2004–2005 from shelters and meal programs in Toronto, Canada. Linear and logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with mental health status. Poor mental health was associated with low perceived access to social support, physical/sexual assault in the past 12 months, presence of a chronic health condition, and presence of a drug use problem in the past month. Efforts to improve mental health in this population will need to address the associated problems of victimization, substance abuse, and lack of social supports.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Research on Inner City Health, Keenan Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada

    Catharine Chambers, Shirley Chiu, Allison N. Scott & Stephen W. Hwang

  2. Division of Health, Technology & Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    George Tolomiczenko

  3. Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Donald A. Redelmeier, Wendy Levinson & Stephen W. Hwang

  4. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Donald A. Redelmeier

Authors
  1. Catharine Chambers
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  2. Shirley Chiu
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  3. Allison N. Scott
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  4. George Tolomiczenko
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  5. Donald A. Redelmeier
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  6. Wendy Levinson
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  7. Stephen W. Hwang
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Correspondence to Catharine Chambers.

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Chambers, C., Chiu, S., Scott, A.N. et al. Factors Associated with Poor Mental Health Status Among Homeless Women With and Without Dependent Children. Community Ment Health J 50, 553–559 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-013-9605-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-013-9605-7

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