Childhood Adversities Associated with Poor Adult Mental Health Outcomes in Older Homeless Adults: Results From the HOPE HOME Study

Abstract

Objective To examine whether childhood adversity is associated with depressive symptoms, suicide attempts, or psychiatric hospitalization. Design History of seven childhood adversities (physical neglect, verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, parental death, parental incarceration, and child welfare system placement) was gathered through in-person interviews. Multivariate models examined associations between history of childhood adversities and moderate to severe depressive symptoms, lifetime history of suicide attempt, or lifetime history of psychiatric hospitalization. Setting General community. Participants The study enrolled 350 homeless adults, aged 50 and older, in Oakland, CA using population-based sampling methods. Measurements Moderate to severe depressive symptoms measured on a Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression Scale (CES-D ≥22), self-reported lifetime history of suicide attempt, and self-reported lifetime history of psychiatric hospitalization. Results Participants with exposure to one childhood adversity had elevated odds of reporting moderate to severe depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–3.7) and lifetime history of suicide attempt (AOR 4.6; 95% CI 1.0–21.6) when compared to those who had none; the odds of these two outcomes increased with exposure to additional childhood adversities. Participants with four or more childhood adversities had higher odds of having a lifetime history of psychiatric hospitalization (AOR 7.1; 95% CI 2.8–18.0); there was no increase with fewer adversities. Conclusion Childhood adversities are associated with poor mental health outcomes among older homeless adults. Clinicians should collect information about childhood adversities among this high-risk population to inform risk assessment and treatment recommendations.

Positive health among older Traveller and older homeless adults: A scoping review of life‐course and structural determinants

“…Second, there is likely to be relevant research that is framed around discipline‐specific concepts and discourses that have not been adequately captured by our selection of keywords. Third, and most significantly, there is a body of work on life‐course and structural determinants of health inequalities (Hodgins, Millar, & Barry, 2006; Lee et al., 2017) that while has fallen outside the explicit positive health focus of these reviews, is likely contribute to a greater understanding of how such mechanisms operate for ageing members of these populations.…”

Factors associated with cognitive impairment in a cohort of older homeless adults: Results from the HOPE HOME study

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Health Risks and Outcomes of Homelessness in School-Age Children and Youth: A Scoping Review of the Literature

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