Association between Psychological Integration and Permanent Supportive Housing: An Exploratory Study with a Focus on Ethnicity

Annette S Crisanti,Leah Puglisi,Jenna L Dole,Tyler Kincaid,Neal Bowen,Shelley Alonso-Marsden,Richard Neil Greene

doi:10.3390/socsci10120468

Annette S Crisanti, Leah Puglisi + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10120468

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Abstract

There is limited research on the association between Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and psychological integration. The purpose of this study was to explore this association among individuals with mental illness and/or substance use disorder (SUD) enrolled in PSH and to identify variables associated with sense of belonging. Given differences in outcomes of PSH by ethnicity, we were interested to determine if an association existed between PSH and psychological integration and whether it was equally observed among Hispanics and non-Hispanics. The target population included individuals who were chronically homeless and diagnosed with a mental illness and/or SUD. Baseline data were collected upon intake (N = 370). Follow-up data were collected at six-months post baseline (N = 286) and discharge (N = 143). Predictor and control variables included demographics, overall health, PTSD symptom severity, interactions with family and friends, and participation in recovery-related groups in the community. Psychological integration scores increased significantly from the baseline to the 6-month follow-up (t = −3.41, p = 0.003) and between the 6-month follow-up and discharge (t = −2.97, p = 0.007). Significant predictors of psychological integration included overall health, interactions with family and/or friends, PTSD symptoms, income, education, and diagnosis. No differences were observed between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. The findings from this exploratory study suggest that future research in this area is warranted.

Highlights

Psychological integration, defined as a sense of belonging, is one of three dimensions within the community integration conceptual model identified by Wong and Solomon (2002)
Given the importance of psychological integration and the ability to enhance it, research is needed to address the gap in the literature and understand characteristics related to sense of belonging and what interventions have an impact on it
Several variables were identified as being significantly associated with increases in psychological integration, including positive ratings of health, a mental health diagnosis of anxiety compared to psychosis, depression or PTSD, lower PTSD symptom severity, interacting with family and friends, higher income, and education

Summary

Introduction

Psychological integration, defined as a sense of belonging, is one of three dimensions within the community integration conceptual model identified by Wong and Solomon (2002). Social integration includes two subdimensions and refers to the extent to which individuals engage in social interactions in the community (i.e., the interactional subdimension) and the extent to which an individual’s network includes positive relationships with multiple and various people in the community (i.e., the social network subdimension) (Wong and Solomon 2002) While both social integration and physical integration are important, psychological integration has been identified as the defining feature of community life (Sarason 1974) and has been linked to improved mental health, service utilization, and retention in behavioral health treatment (La Motte-Kerr et al 2020; Santiago-Rivera et al.2011; Torres et al 2012; Townley and Kloos 2011).

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