This study draws on baseline data from the At Home/Chez Soi
demonstration project to examine the association between parenting status and
mental health among homeless women and whether the association varies by
duration of homelessness.
Structured interviews were conducted with participants in
five cities across Canada including Moncton, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and
Winnipeg.
Eligibility criteria included those with legal adult status,
with a mental illness, and who lacked a regular, fixed shelter. All 713 women
who participated in the larger project were selected for inclusion in this
analysis.
The mental health conditions of interest include depression,
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol dependence and substance
dependence.
The relationship between parenting status and depression, as
well as PTSD, varied by duration of homelessness. Among women who had been
homeless for less than 2 years, no relationship was found between parenting
status and depression, or PTSD. However, among women who had been homeless for
2 or more years, the odds of depression was twice as high among parenting women
compared with others. A similar relationship was found
between parenting status and PTSD. The odds of substance
dependence was found to be 2.62 times greater among parenting women compared
with others and this relationship did not vary by duration of homelessness. No relationship was found between parenting
and alcohol dependence.
Overall, the findings from this study suggest that there is
a relationship between long-term homelessness and mothers’ risk of poor mental
health. Given the multiple demands mothers face, a failure to recognise their
unique needs is likely to contribute to intergenerational legacies of
homelessness and mental health problems.
Full article at: http://goo.gl/KWIiSU
By:
Jayne Barker, Cameron Keller,
and Paula Goering
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Centre for
Applied Research in Mental Health & Addiction, Simon Fraser University,
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
2Centre for International Mental Health,
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne,
Carlton, Victoria, Australia
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