Homelessness among veterans: Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, physical health, and the cumulative trauma of military sexual assault

Carrie L. Lucas; Taylor Harris; Sharon A.M. Stevelink; Kathleen A. McNamara; Laura Rafferty; Jamie Kwan; Rebecca Dunn; Nicola T. Fear; Sara Kintzle; Carl Andrew Castro

doi:10.1086/712991

Homelessness among veterans: Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, physical health, and the cumulative trauma of military sexual assault

Carrie L. Lucas^*, Taylor Harris, Sharon A.M. Stevelink, Kathleen A. McNamara, Laura Rafferty, Jamie Kwan, Rebecca Dunn, Nicola T. Fear, Sara Kintzle, Carl Andrew Castro

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: The current literature does not account for how homeless experiences in combination with military sexual assault (MSA) are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and physical health among military veterans. Method: The survey sample included 251 female and 1,249 male U.S. Armed Forces veterans in San Francisco, CA, and Chicago, IL, who reported their housing status during the past 3 months. Three subgroups emerged: housed, those experiencing broad homelessness (e.g., home of another person, hotel), and those experiencing literal homelessness (e.g., shelter, abandoned building). Analysis included (a) six multivariable logistic regressions to understand the relationship of homelessness and mental and physical health and (b) six moderation multivariable logistic regressions demonstrating the interaction of MSA, homeless experiences, and mental and physical health. Results: Female veterans who experienced literal or broad homelessness and MSA were more likely to have PTSD, depression, and/or physical health symptoms than those who were housed and had not experienced MSA. Male veterans who experienced literal or broad homelessness and MSA were more likely to have PTSD, depression, and/or physical health symptoms than those who were housed and had not experienced MSA. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the cumulative effect of homelessness and MSA, highlighting the need to assess for MSA among veterans experiencing homelessness, to provide trauma-informed care within homeless services, and to support veterans in achieving secure housing.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	731-754
Number of pages	24
Journal	Journal of the society for social work and research
Volume	12
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/712991
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2021

Keywords

Depression
Homelessness
Military sexual assault
PTSD
Veterans

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1086/712991

Cite this

Lucas, C. L., Harris, T., Stevelink, S. A. M., McNamara, K. A., Rafferty, L., Kwan, J., Dunn, R., Fear, N. T., Kintzle, S., & Castro, C. A. (2021). Homelessness among veterans: Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, physical health, and the cumulative trauma of military sexual assault. Journal of the society for social work and research, 12(4), 731-754. https://doi.org/10.1086/712991

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title = "Homelessness among veterans: Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, physical health, and the cumulative trauma of military sexual assault",

abstract = "Objective: The current literature does not account for how homeless experiences in combination with military sexual assault (MSA) are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and physical health among military veterans. Method: The survey sample included 251 female and 1,249 male U.S. Armed Forces veterans in San Francisco, CA, and Chicago, IL, who reported their housing status during the past 3 months. Three subgroups emerged: housed, those experiencing broad homelessness (e.g., home of another person, hotel), and those experiencing literal homelessness (e.g., shelter, abandoned building). Analysis included (a) six multivariable logistic regressions to understand the relationship of homelessness and mental and physical health and (b) six moderation multivariable logistic regressions demonstrating the interaction of MSA, homeless experiences, and mental and physical health. Results: Female veterans who experienced literal or broad homelessness and MSA were more likely to have PTSD, depression, and/or physical health symptoms than those who were housed and had not experienced MSA. Male veterans who experienced literal or broad homelessness and MSA were more likely to have PTSD, depression, and/or physical health symptoms than those who were housed and had not experienced MSA. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the cumulative effect of homelessness and MSA, highlighting the need to assess for MSA among veterans experiencing homelessness, to provide trauma-informed care within homeless services, and to support veterans in achieving secure housing.",

keywords = "Depression, Homelessness, Military sexual assault, PTSD, Veterans",

author = "Lucas, {Carrie L.} and Taylor Harris and Stevelink, {Sharon A.M.} and McNamara, {Kathleen A.} and Laura Rafferty and Jamie Kwan and Rebecca Dunn and Fear, {Nicola T.} and Sara Kintzle and Castro, {Carl Andrew}",

note = "Funding Information: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy and position of the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, or funders. This research was funded by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Wells Fargo, Deloitte, and Prudential. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Society for Social Work and Research. All rights reserved.",

year = "2021",

month = dec,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1086/712991",

language = "English",

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Lucas, CL, Harris, T, Stevelink, SAM, McNamara, KA, Rafferty, L, Kwan, J, Dunn, R , Fear, NT, Kintzle, S & Castro, CA 2021, 'Homelessness among veterans: Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, physical health, and the cumulative trauma of military sexual assault', Journal of the society for social work and research, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 731-754. https://doi.org/10.1086/712991

Homelessness among veterans: Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, physical health, and the cumulative trauma of military sexual assault. / Lucas, Carrie L.; Harris, Taylor; Stevelink, Sharon A.M. et al.
In: Journal of the society for social work and research, Vol. 12, No. 4, 01.12.2021, p. 731-754.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Homelessness among veterans

T2 - Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, physical health, and the cumulative trauma of military sexual assault

AU - Lucas, Carrie L.

AU - Harris, Taylor

AU - Stevelink, Sharon A.M.

AU - McNamara, Kathleen A.

AU - Rafferty, Laura

AU - Kwan, Jamie

AU - Dunn, Rebecca

AU - Fear, Nicola T.

AU - Kintzle, Sara

AU - Castro, Carl Andrew

N1 - Funding Information: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy and position of the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, or funders. This research was funded by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Wells Fargo, Deloitte, and Prudential. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Society for Social Work and Research. All rights reserved.

PY - 2021/12/1

Y1 - 2021/12/1

N2 - Objective: The current literature does not account for how homeless experiences in combination with military sexual assault (MSA) are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and physical health among military veterans. Method: The survey sample included 251 female and 1,249 male U.S. Armed Forces veterans in San Francisco, CA, and Chicago, IL, who reported their housing status during the past 3 months. Three subgroups emerged: housed, those experiencing broad homelessness (e.g., home of another person, hotel), and those experiencing literal homelessness (e.g., shelter, abandoned building). Analysis included (a) six multivariable logistic regressions to understand the relationship of homelessness and mental and physical health and (b) six moderation multivariable logistic regressions demonstrating the interaction of MSA, homeless experiences, and mental and physical health. Results: Female veterans who experienced literal or broad homelessness and MSA were more likely to have PTSD, depression, and/or physical health symptoms than those who were housed and had not experienced MSA. Male veterans who experienced literal or broad homelessness and MSA were more likely to have PTSD, depression, and/or physical health symptoms than those who were housed and had not experienced MSA. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the cumulative effect of homelessness and MSA, highlighting the need to assess for MSA among veterans experiencing homelessness, to provide trauma-informed care within homeless services, and to support veterans in achieving secure housing.

AB - Objective: The current literature does not account for how homeless experiences in combination with military sexual assault (MSA) are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and physical health among military veterans. Method: The survey sample included 251 female and 1,249 male U.S. Armed Forces veterans in San Francisco, CA, and Chicago, IL, who reported their housing status during the past 3 months. Three subgroups emerged: housed, those experiencing broad homelessness (e.g., home of another person, hotel), and those experiencing literal homelessness (e.g., shelter, abandoned building). Analysis included (a) six multivariable logistic regressions to understand the relationship of homelessness and mental and physical health and (b) six moderation multivariable logistic regressions demonstrating the interaction of MSA, homeless experiences, and mental and physical health. Results: Female veterans who experienced literal or broad homelessness and MSA were more likely to have PTSD, depression, and/or physical health symptoms than those who were housed and had not experienced MSA. Male veterans who experienced literal or broad homelessness and MSA were more likely to have PTSD, depression, and/or physical health symptoms than those who were housed and had not experienced MSA. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the cumulative effect of homelessness and MSA, highlighting the need to assess for MSA among veterans experiencing homelessness, to provide trauma-informed care within homeless services, and to support veterans in achieving secure housing.

KW - Depression

KW - Homelessness

KW - Military sexual assault

KW - PTSD

KW - Veterans

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U2 - 10.1086/712991

DO - 10.1086/712991

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85118777037

SN - 2334-2315

VL - 12

SP - 731

EP - 754

JO - Journal of the society for social work and research

JF - Journal of the society for social work and research

IS - 4

ER -

Homelessness among veterans: Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, physical health, and the cumulative trauma of military sexual assault

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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