Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1997 Feb;87(2):241-8.
doi: 10.2105/ajph.87.2.241.

Homelessness in female-headed families: childhood and adult risk and protective factors

E L Bassuk  1 , J C Buckner, L F Weinreb, A Browne, S S Bassuk, R Dawson, J N Perloff
Affiliations

Homelessness in female-headed families: childhood and adult risk and protective factors

E L Bassuk et al. Am J Public Health. 1997 Feb.

Abstract

Objectives: To identify risk and protective factors for family homelessness, a case-control study of homeless and low-income, never-homeless families, all female-headed, was conducted.

Methods: Homeless mothers (n = 220) were enrolled from family shelters in Worcester, Mass. Low-income housed mothers receiving welfare (n = 216) formed the comparison group. The women completed an interview covering socioeconomic, social support, victimization, mental health, substance use, and health domains.

Results: Childhood predictors of family homelessness included foster care placement and respondent's mother's use of drugs. Independent risk factors in adulthood included minority status, recent move to Worcester, recent eviction, interpersonal conflict, frequent alcohol or heroin use, and recent hospitalization for a mental health problem. Protective factors included being a primary tenant, receiving cash assistance or a housing subsidy, graduating from high school, and having a larger social network.

Conclusions: Factors that compromise an individual's economic and social resources are associated with greater risk of losing one's home.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 1991 Oct;61(4):489-500 - PubMed
    1. Am J Psychiatry. 1991 Aug;148(8):1026-30 - PubMed
    1. Am Psychol. 1991 Nov;46(11):1180-7 - PubMed
    1. Am J Community Psychol. 1992 Feb;20(1):1-24 - PubMed
    1. Am J Public Health. 1992 Oct;82(10):1394-8 - PubMed

Publication types