Transitions through homelessness: the impact of psychosocial factors on well-being and outcomes in a homeless sample

Abstract

Homelessness is a complex social issue that is of increasing concern to most developed nations.Homelessness is more than not having a house; it is a form of social exclusion and carries significant physical, psychological, and social challenges. The broad aim of the current thesis was to investigate how the psychological and social aspects of the homeless experience can influence outcomes, such as well-being. In particular, the research focuses on processes related to social categories, social identities, and social support of people, as people transition through homeless accommodation services.The first empirical chapters (Chapter 4 and 5) focus on the impact of self-categorization as homeless. Study 1 (Chapter 4) was a qualitative and quantitative cross-sectional study with 119 residents of homeless accommodation services in South-East Queensland. Results demonstrated that while the majority of participants accepted the homeless label (55%), a large portion of residents (31%) rejected the homeless label, or were ambivalent (14%). Respondents who rejected the homeless label reported greater personal well-being and lower negative mood symptoms than participants who accepted the label. Study 2 (Chapter 5) explored this further using an experimental paradigm among 80 residents of a homeless service. Participants who were required to selfcategorize as homeless at the beginning of the questionnaire had significantly lower future life aspirations and perceived competency than participants who did not. Further, future life aspirations and perceived competency both mediated the relationship between self-categorization and wellbeing.Studies 3 and 4 (Chapters 6 and 7) focus on social identity processes for people transitioning through homelessness. Study 3 assessed how multiple group memberships and service identification related to well-being and positive housing outcomes among 76 participants while they were residing in a homeless accommodation service and again 2 -4 weeks after leaving the service (or three months later if participants had not left the service). The results found that multiple group memberships and service identification independently predicted well-being at Time 2, via social support. Both social identity processes also indirectly predicted housing outcomes via social support. Study 4 built on this research by exploring the antecedents and outcomes that are related to service identification among 296 residents across 19 services. Characteristics of the service delivery model and perceptions of discrimination predicted participants' identification with staff. Further, identification with staff predicted service engagement 6 months later and identification with residents predicted joining new groups 6 months later.The final study (Chapter 8) examined how one of these social processes, namely the relationship between social support and well-being, related to an "individual" trait -emotion iii regulation. Results from a one-year longitudinal study, conducted over three time-points, supported a bi...

Pengetahuan gelandangan terhadap peranan dan keperluan pekerja sosial

“…Hepworth et al (2006) menyatakan bahawa masalah gelandangan merupakan satu tekanan yang serius dan mampu menjejaskan fungsi kognitif, sistem sosial, tingkah laku dan fizikal individu yang bergelandangan. Menurut Walter (2016), kehidupan bergelandangan ini terbahagi kepada dua, iaitu (i) diakibatkan oleh tekanan daripada konteks sosial dan ekonomi yang dilihat berada di luar kawalan dan jangkaan individu tersebut dan (ii) disifatkan sebagai ciri individu atau pilihan peribadi untuk memilih menjalani kehidupan bergelandangan.…”

Exploring links between social identity, emotion regulation, and loneliness in those with and without a history of mental illness

“…It was hypothesized that this would be reflected in lower scores on measures of social factors (fewer groups, a lower sense of connectedness to multiple groups, and less perceived support) and use of affect improving strategies (both internal and interpersonal; H1a), paired with higher scores on measures of affect worsening strategies (both internal and interpersonal) and loneliness (H1b). Based on previous investigations of social identity and emotion regulation contributions to well‐being (Walter, 2017), it was also hypothesized that there would be an association between loneliness and indicators of emotion‐ and social‐primary frameworks in both groups (H2). This would be indicated if both the emotion‐ and social‐primary approaches accounted for significant amounts of variance in loneliness as tested in a hierarchical regression.…”

“…While there is growing evidence for both models, researchers have also found evidence of a bidirectional relationship. For instance, Walter (2017) who examined the links between emotion regulation, social support, and well‐being in residents of a homeless accommodation service over the course of a year, found support for both models. The finding that those with worse emotion regulation experienced less social support and lower well‐being supported the emotion‐primary model.…”