Differences in personal, cognitive, psychological, and social factors associated with drug and alcohol use and nonuse by homeless women

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare differences in personal, cognitive, behavioral, psychological, and social variables among homeless women who were current drug or alcohol users, or both, past drug or alcohol users, or both, and those who never used drugs or alcohol. The sample consisted of 1,013 women residing in 73 Los Angeles homeless shelters. Depression, anxiety, hostility, emotion-focused coping, lower self-esteem, and less social support were more prevalent among homeless women who continued to use drugs and alcohol than among past users or those who never used. AIDS knowledge was higher among past users. The results contribute important knowledge regarding the pattern of cognitive, psychological, and social differences between users and nonusers.

Psychological Distress and Intimate Physical and Sexual Abuse among Women in Methadone Maintenance Treatment Programs

“…Two theoretical frameworks guide the study: the cognitive theory of stress and coping (Lazarus and Folkman 1984;Folkman et al 1993) and the comprehensive health-seeking and coping paradigm (Nyamathi 1989;Nyamathi, Keenan, and Bayley 1998). Generally, the study's hy-potheses are supported.…”

“…Among the powerful theoretical frameworks that explain the relationships among intimate partner abuse, PTSD, and depression are the cognitive theory of stress and coping (Folkman 1984;Lazarus and Folkman 1984;Folkman et al 1993) and the comprehensive health-seeking and coping paradigm (CHSCP ;Nyamathi 1989;Nyamathi, Keenan, and Bayley 1998). Both are based on the conceptualization that coping is an ongoing and multidimensional process and not a unidimensional, static personality trait (Nyamathi 1989).…”

“…Perceived lack of control is associated with the adoption of emotion-focused coping such as avoidance, which is a negative, maladaptive response to stress (Nyamathi, Stein, and Brecht 1995). The CHSCP categorizes drug use as an avoidance, emotion-focused coping mechanism (Galaif, Nyamathi, and Stein 1999) linked to depression, anxiety, general mental health impairment (Nyamathi, Keenan, and Bayley 1998), and high sexual risk behavior (Nyamathi, Stein, and Brecht 1995). According to this conceptual framework, mental health professionals can facilitate replacing avoidance with problem-focused strategies (Nyamathi 1989).…”

Injection Drug Use Among Homeless Adults With Mental Illness: A Gender-based Analysis

“…Substance abuse and addiction commonly emerge from a history of complex traumatic stress, and can exacerbate existing mental illness (Nyamathi et al, 1998;Sacks et al, 2008).…”

“…In particular, homeless women are observed to be at greater risk for trauma-related mental health issues, i.e., childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, and often resort to drug use as a means of coping with emotional and psychological distress (Nyamathi et al, 1998;Sacks et al, 2008). Although not as welldocumented, evidence suggests that homeless men also commonly experience traumatic events and have high rates of lifetime trauma in comparison to the general population (Buhrich, Hodder, & Teeson, 2008;Christensen, Hodgkins, Garces, Estlund, Miller, & Touchton, 2005).…”