Am J Psychiatry 1991; 148:1026-1030
Copyright © 1991 by American Psychiatric Association
Childhood antecedents of homelessness in psychiatric patients
ES Susser, SP Lin, SA Conover and EL Struening
Division of Statistical Sciences and Epidemiology, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between childhood
experience and homelessness in psychiatric patients. METHOD: Three large
and diverse samples of homeless patients (N = 512) were compared with a
sample of patients who had never been homeless (N = 271), with respect to
childhood experience of foster care, group home placement, and running
away. One of the homeless samples and the never homeless sample were drawn
from patients admitted to a state mental hospital. In this state hospital
population, risk ratios for lifetime prevalence of homelessness could be
derived. RESULTS: In the three homeless samples, over 15% had a history of
foster care, over 10% had a history of group home placement, and over 20%
had a history of running away. These figures compared with 2%, 1%, and 5%,
respectively, in the never homeless sample. In the state hospital, the
lifetime prevalence of homelessness in patients with any one of these
childhood experiences was about threefold that of other patients. A history
of homelessness was reported by the great majority of state hospital
patients who had had one of these childhood experiences. CONCLUSIONS: These
childhood experiences were strongly associated with adult homelessness in
these psychiatric patients. It might be possible to prevent homelessness in
some cases by interventions aimed at patients with such childhood
histories.
