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At least 1,369 records · Page 76Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Lifetime prevalence of trauma among homeless people in Sydney.

OBJECTIVE: The experience of lifetime trauma among homeless women in the USA is well documented. Less information is available concerning homeless men. There are no prevalence studies concerning lifetime trauma among homeless people in Australia. Our aim was to assess the lifetime prevalence of trauma as reported by homeless men and women in Sydney. METHOD: We interviewed 119 men and 38 women who were visiting or residing at the seven largest refuges for homeless people in inner Sydney, using the lifetime trauma section of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. RESULTS: All women and over 90% of men reported at least one event of trauma in their life. Fifty-eight per cent suffered serious physical assault and 55% witnessed someone being badly injured or killed. Half the women and 10% of men reported that they had been raped. CONCLUSION: The experience of at least one lifetime event of trauma is almost universal among homeless people in Sydney and is considerably higher than for the USA general population. Reasons for such high prevalence rates are discussed. Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder are associated with a history of trauma. Health professionals need to be aware of past events of trauma among individuals who are homeless.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Social responsibility in nursing education.

Nurses will be key participants in health care reform as health care shifts from a hospital-based disease orientation to a community-centered health promotion focus. Nursing in communities, the environmental context of clients' everyday lives, requires attention to social, economic, and political circumstances that influence health status and access to health care. Therefore, nursing educators have the responsibility to prepare future nurses for community-based practice by instilling moral and professional practice obligations, cultural sensitivity, and other facets of social responsibility. In this article, social responsibility and journaling, a teaching/learning strategy suggested by the new paradigm approach of the curriculum revolution, are explored. A qualitative research study of more than 100 nursing student journal entries illustrates the concept of social responsibility and how it developed in a group of baccalaureate nursing students during a clinical practicum in a large urban homeless shelter.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Homelessness among older adults in a Texas border town.

This paper documents a descriptive pilot study utilizing a "point-in-time" or "point prevalence" method to determine the characteristics of those older adults living in homeless shelters in the city of El Paso. Of the 227 individuals who agreed to be involved in the survey, 53 (23% of the total sample) were 50 years and older. The characteristics of those 53 individuals ranging in age from 50-80 are presented. The profile is that of a poorly educated, Hispanic, Catholic male born in Mexico, who identifies Spanish as a first language, and who attributes his homeless state to joblessness or poverty. Key issues with regard to homelessness are employment and retraining. The article discusses the policies relevant to homelessness and employment retraining options as well as local initiatives. Implications for research, policy, and for social work intervention are also suggested in an effort to address needs of these homeless older adults.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Drug use disorders and treatment contact among homeless adults in Alameda County, California.

OBJECTIVES: This study estimates the extent and distribution of specific drug problems among homeless adults. METHODS: A countywide probability sample of 564 homeless adults received structured interviews that included a standardized assessment of substance use disorders. RESULTS: Two thirds of the sample (69.1%) had a lifetime history of a substance use disorder (including abuse of or dependence on alcohol [52.6%] or drugs [52.2%]); half had a current (52.4%) substance use disorder (including alcohol [38.8%] or drugs [31.3%]). Current drug disorders were higher among respondents who were younger, homeless longer, or sampled from the city of Oakland, Calif. Alcohol use disorders were higher among men than among women; surprisingly, drug use disorders were not. CONCLUSION: Rates of current drug use disorders for homeless adults were more than eight times higher than general population estimates. However, estimates of drug problems among homeless adults vary as a function of case ascertainment and sampling strategy. Estimates based only on samples from urban areas may overestimate drug problems among the area's larger homeless populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

HIV in the mentally ill.

OBJECTIVE: To review the published literature in relation to prevalence of HIV infection and risk behaviours for HIV among the mentally ill to assist in the development of appropriate strategies for public health policy, surveillance and clinical management of HIV and HIV risk in these groups. METHOD: A search of published literature was carried out using 'Medline', in association with following up appropriate papers cited in the references of journals identified. RESULTS: The North American literature shows an increased risk of HIV infection in psychiatric patients receiving treatment in both inpatient or community settings. HIV infection is associated with a number of risk behaviours, particularly male homosexual sex and injecting drug use, and being the sexual partner of a person with a history of these. Impulsivity, high levels of sexual activity during acute exacerbations of psychiatric illness, poor skills at negotiating safe sex, homelessness and drug abuse are all risk behaviours common among those affected by some mental illnesses. The mentally ill also have a comparatively poorer knowledge of HIV/AIDS. There is a dearth of published Australian data addressing the question of HIV seroprevalence or risk in the mentally ill. Although there has been development and implementation of HIV risk-reduction programs overseas, the development and evaluation of any programs in Australia has not been published. CONCLUSIONS: Arguably, Australia has developed a comprehensive program of national surveillance for HIV infection and has been relatively successful in its response to the HIV epidemic, with the high rates of infection in the early to mid-1980s substantially reduced to around 600 new diagnoses per year. However, while risk behaviours which exposed those infected with the virus are recorded, underlying conditions which predispose them to these behaviours are not. Nevertheless, there is HIV infection amongst mentally ill and intellectually disabled people in Australia. Examination of the North American experience reveals opportunities to prevent a high rate of HIV infection in those with mental illness in Australia. Such a program would require adequate risk behaviour assessment, appropriate diagnostic testing and management, and development of specific educational interventions which are properly evaluated to ensure their effectiveness.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The process and outcomes of a multimethod needs assessment at a homeless shelter.

Many factors contribute to homelessness, including extreme poverty, extended periods of unemployment, shortages of low-income housing, deinstitutionalization, and substance abuse. As a result, the needs of people who are homeless are broad and complex. This needs assessment used literature reviews, review of local documents and reports, participant observation, locus groups, and reflective journals to guide the development of an occupational performance skills program at one homeless shelter in south Florida. Through these methods, the role of occupational therapy was extended beyond direct service to include program and resource development, staff education, advocacy, and staff-resident mediation. The findings of the needs assessment and the actions taken as a result of this work point to the huge potential for occupational therapists and students to work together with staff and residents of homeless shelters.

Florida↗