Homeless Men Research Articles

Comparison of Causes of Mortality Between Hospitalized Unsheltered Homeless Patients and Non-Homeless Sex and Age-Matched Controls: A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

Roofless individuals represent the most severe category of homelessness. Their clinical characteristics and mortality patterns in Central and Eastern Europe are little known. A single-center retrospective case-control study at the internal medicine department in Bratislava, Slovakia was conducted. 5694 mortality records from 2010 to 2023 were screened, and 141 (118 men, 23 women) roofless individuals were identified. Patients were sex- and age-matched, with 141 patients from the cohort of non-homeless deceased patients. Compared to controls, roofless people had a higher incidence of immobility (p = 0.02) and hypothermia (p < 0.0001) at admission. 83% of the roofless people were men, and 59% of the roofless people died before reaching old age (60+). Homeless men died more often from infectious disease (p = 0.02), pneumonia being the most common one (60%). Men from the control group died more often from liver diseases (p = 0.03). There were no significant differences in the causes of mortality between women. These findings could help to reduce the invisibility of the issue of massive premature mortality amongst homeless populations and roofless individuals, in particular.

Task‐Designated Identities in Danish Homeless Shelters

This paper is based on an ethnographic study of how domesticity is enacted and adapted at homeless shelters for determining which clients are “service worthy .” The study draws on nineteen placement meetings with homeless men and focuses on institutional mechanisms for encouraging homemaking skills or domesticity among clients. Adapting Robert K. Merton's typology of adaptations to social norms, as well as Jaber Gubrium's “task‐designated identity,” we showcase male clients' self‐presentation strategies for adapting to the institutional mandates of domesticity. Specifically, our qualitative analysis reveals four modes of task adaption: (1) task conformity by professing the desired norms in their service encounters, (2) task evasion to avoid conversations and related tasks, (3) task transformation by linking the task at hand with something other than originally intended, particularly by reframing biographies to meet the local goals of domesticity, and (4) task protestation, which involves questioning the rationale and necessity of assigned tasks.

“Some things are proper, and some things are not”: forgotten men and disciplined women in My Man Godfrey

ABSTRACT My Man Godfrey (Gregory La Cava, 1936) begins with a critique of Depression-era public relief efforts but then focuses for the remainder of the film on the attempts of one ‘forgotten man’ to restore patriarchal authority to a female-dominated household. In the substitution of disciplined women for politically resistant homeless men, the film maps the consent of the subject to sovereign rule onto the screwball comedy’s plot convention of female submission, thus naturalizing sovereignty, and feminizing the disciplined subject of the welfare state.

Health behaviors and problems in Polish homeless men.

Homelessness is considered to be a global problem, independent of the material situation of a given country and occurring in most societies around the world. Assessment of the preferred health behaviors of homeless people. The study covered 153 men who are homeless and 312 men who are not homeless. The original questionnaire of homeless, and validated the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Scale were used. The research covered fully completed questionnaires from 153 homeless men staying in Białystok and Gdańsk homelss centers. On average, the homeless men assessed their health at 6.0 ± 2.7 points, and the non-homeless at 7.8 ± 2.2 points (p < 0.001). Significant differences were found between people experiencing a homelessness crisis and the control group in selected aspects concerning the everyday life hygiene of the respondents, health self-assessment, declarations of visits to a specialist and carrying out check-ups, level of satisfaction with life, coping with difficult situations, preferred pro-health behaviors and dimensions of health control. In the used scales, SWLS, HBI, GES, and MHCL, the majority of homeless men obtained average scores. They were rather dissatisfied with their lives, with a low level of effectiveness in coping with difficult situations and obstacles, a low level of health behaviors, and in the scope of health, control increasing the impact of chance. The level of the presented health behaviors showed statistically significant diversification with all dimensions of the health locus of control, and its internal dimension with age, homelessness phase, the respondents' criminal history, being under constant medical care, and self-assessment of health.

‘People Don’t Live There, on the Streets—They Are Surviving’: Gender Specifics of Homelessness Coping Strategies in St. Petersburg, Russia

Homelessness is a significant and increasing problem in modern Russia, which is admitted mostly by NGOs. In addition, in academic, media and state discourses, homelessness is traditionally viewed as a male phenomenon, and there is a lack of research focused on the gender aspects of homelessness in Russia. Therefore, the underrepresentation of homeless women’s experiences and their comparison to homeless men’s experiences, in academic and policy research in Russia, influence the diversity and quality of services provided to homeless people. Based on an analysis of 60 in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with homeless men and women in Saint Petersburg, this article compares men’s and women’s coping strategies in the situation of homelessness. Research shows that the homeless experience is gender-specific. When lacking resources, women use a special gendered form of capital—‘feminine’ capital—while men utilise more masculine coping strategies. The patriarchal traditions and values of Russian society also play a significant role in the paths of people experiencing homelessness.

Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement: An Evidence-Based Social Work Intervention for Addiction, Stress, and Chronic Pain.

The purpose of this commentary is to update social workers about the evolution of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) since the publication of the book Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement for Addiction, Stress, and Pain (Garland, 2013, reviewed in Martin, 2022) and to provide a succinct overview of MORE’s clinical outcomes and mechanisms. MORE is an evidence-based social work intervention that unites mindfulness training, cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT), and positive psychology into an integrative treatment for addiction, stress, and chronic pain. Across weekly MORE sessions, participants learn mindfulness, reappraisal, and savoring techniques to alleviate symptoms, enhance well-being, and strengthen their recovery. MORE draws on principles from social–behavioral learning theory to enhance motivation to practice, maximize therapeutic expectancy, and positively reinforce success experiences to increase participant engagement. Since 2013, MORE has been tested in 11 clinical trials, demonstrating efficacy for clients struggling with addiction and related issues (e.g., psychiatric disorders, chronic pain). The first Stage 1 randomized controlled trial (RCT) of MORE was conducted in a sample of people with alcohol use disorder (many of whom had co-occurring cocaine use disorder) residing in a long-term therapeutic community. This pilot (N = 53) provided an initial indication of MORE’s potential treatment value, demonstrating effects on addiction risk mechanisms including alcohol attentional bias and autonomic recovery from alcohol cue exposure—indicators of the extent to which a patient was “triggered” by addiction cues (Garland et al., 2010). Subsequently, my colleagues and I launched a five-year Stage 3 RCT (N = 180) of MORE at the same therapeutic community in a sample of formerly homeless men with co-occurring substance use disorders, trauma, and psychiatric disorders. MORE outperformed both trauma-focused CBT (a program based on Seeking Safety) and usual care in reducing drug craving and PTSD symptoms (Garland et al., 2016). For these first two trials of MORE, the treatment was targeted for clients in the “action” and “maintenance” stages of change (Prochaska et al., 1992).

Sleeping Rough

"Sleeping Rough" was shot during the summer of 2001 among a group of homeless men and women in the city centre of Hamburg after six months of ethnographic fieldwork. While the homeless are often represented as outcasts of society, this film shows critical and self-reflexive people who master their lives in public with an undefeated spirit. The cohesion of the group provides the matrix through which individuals in varying stages of liminality can find solace and support. The camera offers a privileged view of daily routines and work as well as leisure time which is spent socialising in a public square equipped with a container for luggage. Intimately and sometimes with disenchanted frankness the protagonists reflect on the circumstances of their situation, between romance and tragedy, past disappointments and future ambition. More than 20 years after the production of the film, the situation of homeless people in Germany has not improved. The number of rough sleepers in Hamburg has increased from roughly 1000 in 2009 to almost 2000 in 2018. The city centre of Hamburg is still a highly contested space.

The Relationship of Trauma History, Substance Misuse, and Religious Coping to Trauma Symptoms among Homeless Men in Residential Treatment: A Preliminary Study

Homelessness is a global health and well-being crisis that impacts millions of people annually. Individuals without housing experience higher rates of alcohol and drug use problems than the general community. They also report more trauma exposure and are at increased risk for trauma-related symptoms. Faith-based organizations are among the institutions that provide treatment and recovery programs for homeless persons with substance use problems. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship of trauma history, substance use problems, and religious coping methods to trauma symptoms in a sample of homeless men in a faith-based residential treatment program. An ethnically diverse sample of 98 men participated; their mean age was 42.5 years. Measures included a brief trauma history screener, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-20), the Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE), and the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI). As predicted, trauma history, AUDIT scores, DAST-20 scores, and negative religious coping were positively associated with trauma symptoms. Racial identity also accounted for significant variance in TSI scores, especially regarding trauma-related anxious and depressive symptoms. Positive religious coping appeared essentially unrelated to trauma symptoms. These findings support the utility of the instruments used for assessment with homeless persons in residential treatment programs for substance abuse.

The Precarious Lives of Homeless Scavengers in Tokyo Before and After the 2008 Crisis

Awareness of poverty in Japan significantly increased after the bubble economy ended in 1991. The presence of older men, approaching or past retirement age, living in blue tents and on park benches, was one of the first to challenge the assumption of a classless Japan. One strategy for men experiencing homelessness to alleviate their hardships and survive is to gather and sell aluminium cans. This paper ethnographically explores their precarious work and documents the various patterns of gathering and selling cans, while also looking at the impact of both local and global forces (neoliberalism) on their work. Based on fieldwork that included the economic recession of 2008–2009, I observed six months of the work of the homeless during economic stability and six months during a severe recession. My research shows how homeless men used the work of gathering and selling cans to survive during a stagnant economy and then adapted to a brutal recession, which resulted in much lower income for their labour as the price of aluminium significantly decreased. I argue that their work was affected by the global economy and that collecting cans and earning money helped homeless men survive through the crisis. Finally, I conclude that earn­ing money via selling cans allowed the men to maintain their self-respect and pride, have a sense of purpose, buy daily necessities, and occasionally splurge on entertainment.

Prevalence of gambling disorder and its correlates among homeless men in Osaka city, Japan

Internationally, the prevalence of gambling disorder has been reported to be higher among homeless people than the general population; however, little is known about the factors associated with gambling disorder in this population. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of gambling disorder and its associated factors among homeless men using shelters in Osaka City. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from 30 to 2018 to 4 January 2019, using the 2017 Japanese National Survey of Gambling (JNSG) questionnaire, supplemented with questions about homeless experiences, drinking, and smoking. Using the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the presence of gambling disorder was determined by a score ≥ 5 out of 20. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to explore factors associated with lifetime gambling disorder. Lifetime and past-year prevalence of gambling disorder among 103 participants was 43.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 34.5–53.3) and 3.9% (95% CI: 1.5–9.6), respectively, which are higher than the 6.7% and 1.5% found among men in the 2017 JNSG. Reasons reported for currently gambling less were primarily financial. Factors associated with lifetime GD included “more than 20 years since the first incidence of homelessness” (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 4.97, 95% CI: 1.50–16.45) and “more than five incidences of homelessness” (AOR: 4.51, 95% CI: 1.06–19.26). When homeless individuals with gambling disorder try to rebuild and stabilize their lives, the presence or resurgence of gambling disorder may hinder the process and pose a risk of recurring homelessness. Comprehensive support services for homeless individuals with gambling disorder are required. (250 words)

HF01-08 INDIA’S HISTORY OF MASS STERILIZATION

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 May 2022HF01-08 INDIA’S HISTORY OF MASS STERILIZATION Rainjade Chung, Jane Kurtzman, and Steven Brandes Rainjade ChungRainjade Chung More articles by this author , Jane KurtzmanJane Kurtzman More articles by this author , and Steven BrandesSteven Brandes More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002541.08AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: A mass sterilization campaign took place in India at the height of “The Emergency” in 1976, during which 6.2 million men underwent vasectomies to limit population growth. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of Pubmed, Google Scholar, and historical documents was done. RESULTS: The campaign of mass sterilization in India is best understood in the historical context of “The Emergency,” a controversial 21-month period from 1975-1977 during which Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency, cancelling elections and suspending civil liberties. The perfect storm of recent war with Pakistan, food shortages, inflation, and political unrest laid the foundation for political instability. Efforts to address economic and food crises caused in part by overpopulation were coordinated on the international stage. The World Bank gave India the largest amount of international aid for sterilization programs at $66 million USD from 1972-1980. International pressure, particularly from Western countries, was intense. US President Lyndon B. Johnson denied food aid to India in 1965, a time of critical food shortage, until it agreed to incentivize sterilization. The aggressive coercion and politicization of the 1976 campaign has made it a striking part of India’s history. Officials believed that mandatory sterilization would contribute to poverty reduction and was thus critically important to fuel India’s economic growth. Vasectomy quotas were imposed for each state and people were forced to show proof of sterilization to receive their salary or medical treatment. Positive incentives were implemented in some states, paying nearly one month’s salary to be sterilized. Vasectomy camps and traveling clinics became common and efficient. At one point, camps in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, were able to do 5,664 vasectomies a day. Targeted populations included the poor, illiterate people, prisoners, and homeless men. Men were herded onto buses and taken to hospitals for vasectomies. There was no leniency for unmarried or childless men. There was no follow up care and it is estimated that thousands died of infection. After the Emergency, sterilization plummeted and the backlash of the aggressive campaign contributed to Indira Gandhi's ousting in the subsequent election. CONCLUSIONS: Since 1976, the focus of sterilization in India has shifted to women. 4.5 million women undergo sterilization per year with half of the female population sterilized by age 35. Unfortunately, India’s history of government funded population control is not unique; other countries have their own dark history of compulsory sterilization. Source of Funding: None © 2022 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 207Issue Supplement 5May 2022Page: e214 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2022 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Rainjade Chung More articles by this author Jane Kurtzman More articles by this author Steven Brandes More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF DownloadLoading ...

Examining the Experiences of and Perceived Treatment Needs for Social Anxiety and Substance Use Among Homeless Men

Examining the Experiences of and Perceived Treatment Needs for Social Anxiety and Substance Use Among Homeless Men

Experiences of homeless men in an affluent town in South Africa.

The aim of this study was to explore experiences of homelessness in an affluent university town. Seven homeless men were recruited at a welfare program for homeless people to participate in in-depth, semistructured interviews that explored their experiences of homelessness in the town. The ages of the participants ranged from 36 to 52 years. There were three White participants, two of mixed race, and two Black participants. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, from a bottom-up systems perspective. The results revealed some of the participants' drug-related experiences, their structural experiences (e.g., shelter policy, low wages, and the poverty trap), their social experiences (e.g., the loss of their families and the lack of social standards in the homeless community), and their psychological experiences (i.e., fatalism, complacency, and responsibility). Subsidized housing and social grants are unlikely to effectively address the homelessness of men if other components of their experience, such as their drug-related experiences, their structural experiences, their social experiences, and their psychological experiences, are not attended to.

Squid Game(s)

Here, the author presents a sequentially yet nonlinearly organized collage of previously published writing, curated under the title “Squid Game(s).” The collage is composed entirely of decontextualized quotations. The excerpts include reviews and analysis of the Netflix series Squid Game; excerpts from accounts and analysis of the Holocaust, Nazism, and their representation; discussions of homeless men paid to attack each other in a video series; and texts drawn from contemporary social theory. The collage, as an experiment, offers readers an opportunity for recontextualization through their own associative sense-making. Readers determine what is important information, what might be fruitfully compared and contrasted, and how a viral hit television program might come to “mean.”

Corpos em Cena: Masculinidades e Sobrevivências de Homens de Rua no Limite do Humano

Neste artigo, os corpos dos moradores de rua são pensados como última instância entre a vida e a morte no perambular pela cidade. Eles forjam estilos de masculinidades negociadas e animalizadas que acionadas em suas sociabilidades dão suporte às suas sobrevivências. A etnografia realizada na Praça do Ferreira-Fortaleza/CE e Centro POP analisa como o corpo dos michês da Ferreira se articulam no limite entre o humano, o não humano e o inumano. Narrado em cenas etnográficas, o artigo busca outro olhar para a valoração da aversão e repulsa aos corpos dos moradores de rua. moradores de rua, masculinidades, sobrevivências, corpos

The vulnerability of women living homeless in Nicaragua: A comparison between homeless women and men in a low-income country.

This article takes a gender perspective approach to a series of issues that may affect the vulnerability of people in a homeless situation in Nicaragua, focusing particularly on women. The study was completed using data obtained from two similarly-sized samples, one of homeless men (n = 32) and the other of homeless women (n = 30). The information was gathered using a structured interview. Results show that there are key similarities in the situation and characteristics of both men and women living homeless in Nicaragua. Results also support the thought that women living homeless - some with dependent children to care for - are in a situation of particular vulnerability, suffering violence, a greater need to find safe places to stay, greater "revolving door to homelessness," more barriers to finding work and more sex work. The analysis of the issues differentiating men from women may be of use in driving forward public policies and social care resources adapted to the specific characteristics and needs of these women and their children. As can be taken from this paper, people living homeless in low-income and high-income countries share a number of similar circumstances, which in turn could facilitate a global approach to the problem.

Performing a Version of Themselves: A Comparative Analysis of Želimir Žilnik’s Work with Nonprofessional Actors

Želimir Žilnik’s films are marked by the director’s work with nonprofessional actors who come from the social periphery or marginalized communities and offer unconventional perspectives about social conditions and history. As the title of Žilnik’s recent retrospective exhibition ‘Shadow citizens’ indicates, his films present individuals who embody alternatives to their time’s ruling ideology. These characters include homeless men in communist-era Novi Sad, guest workers in Germany, drag queens in nationalist-dominated Belgrade, immigrants trying to enter Europe and laid-off industrial workers in post-Yugoslav Serbia. Following the long legacy of filming amateur actors, Žilnik cuts a distinct path in using nonprofessionals. This essay comparatively analyzes his Kenedi trilogy and The Old School of Capitalism (2009) with other recent films of social concern from Eastern European directors to place in relief how Žilnik’s films define the socially marginalized and historically determined position of their subjects. This article argues that Žilnik’s films present a critical development in the cinematic practice of reenactment and the use of nonprofessional actors since the director makes it possible for his amateurs to simulate and critically revise their reality on the film screen.

Health Service Utilization by Homeless Persons: Analysis of the Role of Enabling Factors, Pain and Gender using the Gelberg-Andersen Model

The aim of the study was to find factors that influence health service utilization by homeless people. In a field study, a sample of 51 homeless men and 47 homeless women in the German county of Baden-Württemberg participated in face-to-face-interviews with a questionnaire designed for this study. Analyses were performed using multiple logistic regression models. Variables were organized using the Gelberg-Andersen Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations. Satisfied subsistence needs (OR 1.33, 95%-CI [1.03-1.72] regarding utilization of vaccinations), a stable source of primary care (OR 12.2 [1.81-82] regarding utilization of early detection examinations; quasi-complete separation regarding use of GP services) social networks (OR 2.9 [1.13-7.5] regarding utilisation of early detection examinations; OR 0.63 [0.41-0.98] regarding emergency department visits) and technological ressources (OR 2.2 [1.13-4.4] regarding use of GP services) had a positive influence on the pattern of health service utilization. Pain was correlated with more emergency department visits (OR 1.72 [1.22-2.4]) and hospitalizations (OR 1.66 [1.19-2.3]). The results showed differences between homeless men and women. The factors of influence found in this study should be addressed in the care of homeless persons. Integration of social care into the regular health care system is necessary for early detection and treatment of complex social and medical needs of vulnerable populations. This requires interprofessional approaches in medical education and training focussing on the situation of vulnerable populations and on social determinants of health.

‘Archaic laws’ and the making of the homelessness sector

The relationship between law and welfare in the governing of homelessness has been studied from a range of perspectives but their interconnections have had little scrutiny at that key moment in the later 20th century when vagrancy was repealed and homelessness became a ‘sector’ in most western countries. Focussing on Australia, this paper provides a critical historical analysis of how and why these interconnections limited reform. Despite the early 1970s being the highpoint of social democratic idealism, the new homelessness sector redeployed the methods of residual charity, largely because it was seen as a replacement for jail. The legal reforms were partial and, since their focus was limited to homeless white men, they had unintended consequences, tragically so for Indigenous peoples. While these shifts represented a turning point in the long governance of homelessness, they were ones in which old ways prevailed and, as neoliberalism gained ground, they became embedded in the policy landscape.

Outcomes Associated with Providing Secure, Stable, and Permanent Housing for People Who Have Been Homeless: An International Scoping Review

As governments and service agencies across the world grapple with chronic rates of homelessness and housing instability, there is a growing need to understand the value that providing secure, stable housing brings to the lives of people who are homeless and the broader community. The complex nature of homelessness is revealed across a variety of academic fields including planning, pharmacology, urban affairs, housing policy, nutrition, psychiatry, sociology, public health, urban health, and criminology. We undertook a scoping review according to PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis) that mapped the breadth and scale of the evidence-base and identified themes and gaps. We identified 476 reports and after excluding duplicates and ones that did not relate to our criteria, were left with 100 studies from eight countries. Each of them identified benefits and/or changes that occurred when people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity transitioned into a secure, stable home. Outcomes measured were distributed across a range of domains including physical and mental health, well-being, mortality rates, criminal justice interaction, service use, and cost-effectiveness. Findings varied by degree but overwhelmingly found improvements in all domains once people were permanently housed. Housing provided a foundation for people to envisage a better life and make plans for the future. As one woman who had fled a violent home was quoted as saying: “housing made everything else possible.” The research identified savings for taxpayers and the wider community once people left homelessness for the stability of a permanent home, even after factoring in the cost of housing and rental help. We found numerous gaps. For example, there was a prevalence of studies that focused on those who are visibly homeless, in particular chronically homeless men with mental illness and/or substance use issues. Much less research looked at women whose patterns of homelessness are more varied and even less at homelessness involving children and families. Women who had left domestic and family violence were investigated in a very small number of studies and sample sizes were small. Few reports undertook the complex task of quantifying and comparing cost savings. Other notable gaps were older women, older people more generally, refugees, recent migrants, veterans, Indigenous people and those with a disability.