A Study on the Effects of Supported Independent Housing for the Persons with Mental Disabilities

Abstract

Background: This study is a 1-year follow-up study for mentally disabled people who started living independently. The purpose of this study is to confirm the performance of the supported independent housing (SIH) program for severe mental illness and to compare the effectiveness with the collective living family, a group home (GH).Methods: This study included mentally disabled people living in publicly supported SIH (n=24) and living in GH (n=31). The outcome measures were brief psychiatric rating scale, Global Assessment Function (GAF), internalized stigma, hope, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and working alliance. Analyzes were performed using descriptive methods and chi-square analysis, Independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Friedman test.Results: In the case of the SIH group, GAF and internalized stigma showed a significant effect after 1 year, and the working alliance showed a tendency to decrease at 6 months and then increase again after 1 year. In comparison between the two groups, only GAF showed a significant difference after 1 year. Hope, self-esteem, and life satisfaction showed a significant effect in the GH group after 1 year, but not in the SIH group.Conclusions: Results show that the SIH and GH housing types achieve different results over the 1-year period. GAF and internalized stigma were significant in SIH, and psychological variables were significant in GH. In GAF, SIH showed a more significant effect than GH. Housing support should take into account the various individual circumstances and preferences of the client, and above all, securing housing stability and expanding accessibility is important.