The clusters and frequencies of adverse social conditions amongst the homeless people

Abstract

Abstract Background A growing body of evidence identifies interconnected social indicators that can lead to homelessness. Several studies identify a catalogue of social disadvantages that starts from childhood and persist throughout the life course that leads to homelessness. Qualitative evidence indicates that their adverse childhood experiences(ACEs) and damage that occurred to them as children had major influences on their ability to negotiate their way through the education system, gain and sustain employment, make appropriate choices of social networks, and form and maintain healthy relationships as adults. However, very little research seeks to objectively investigate these issues. This study aims to use the cross-sectional study to document the cluster and frequency of adverse social conditions amongst the homeless people in North West England in 2019. Methods The study design was cross-sectional. We used IBM SPSS 21, with a significance level set at p < 0.05, CI 95% to analyse the data. Results The mean age was 39.12, range 21-64, 90.5% male. 52%(χ2= 33.4, df = 1, p = 0.001) described their health as poor, 90% (χ2= 61.85, df = 2, p = 0.001) smoked cigarette daily, 83.3% (χ2= 76.4, df = 3, p = 0.001) used drugs daily, 78.6% (χ2= 13.7, df = 1, p = 0.001) saw a doctor in preceding 6 months, 63.4% (χ2= 73.8, df = 3, p = 0.001) left school before age 16; 26.2% (χ2= 37.7, df = 3, p = 0.001) left school at 16, 11.9% (χ2= 33.1, df = 10, p = 0.001) encounterd criminal justice system at the age of 11, 28.6% (χ2= 60.8, df = 8, p = 0.001) had reprimand/caution or conviction at 17. ACES: 57% (χ2= 34.7, df = 3, p = 0.001) experienced humiliation by adults in their household; 54% (χ2= 30.7, df = 3, p = 0.001) threatening behaviour, 50% (χ2= 26.0, df = 3, p = 0.001) physical violence in their household. Conclusions These early stage preliminary results indicate that adverse social circumstances that occur in childhood are disproportionately represented in homeless population. Key messages Homelessness is more complex than the absence of accomodation. Adverse social circumstances that occur in childhood are disproportionately represented in homeless population.