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Health in hostels: a survey of hostel dwelling women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Sarah V. L. Marriott
Affiliation:
Royal College of Psychiatrists' Research Unit, London SW1X
Richard H. Harvey
Affiliation:
The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London WC1N 3BG
Deirdre Bonner*
Affiliation:
West London Healthcare NHS Trust, Uxbridge Road, Southall, Middlesex UB1 3EU
*
Correspondence
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Abstract

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Direct access residents in an inner London homeless women's hostel were interviewed and asked to provide information on medical, personal and social history. For each a DSM–III–R diagnosis, General Health Questionnaire, CAGE and Global Assessment Scale score was assigned, and their views on future housing were sought. The effect of severe mental illness (SMI) and age on dependent variables was examined. A third of the sample (n=14) suffered from SMI, and a further quarter from other mental illness (n=10). A quarter had a DSM–III–R substance misuse disorder. The prevalence of SMI was similar across age groups. Younger women had a different pattern of service needs, with greater levels of psychological distress, substance misuse and residential instability, than older residents.

Type
Original Papers
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

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