The complex relationships between homelessness, mental health and mental disorder have been explored by these investigators and by other research groups in other cities over the past decade. Recent research has focused on special subgroups of homeless people who have special needs. Of these, the group of homeless women, especially those with children in their care, may merit the most pressing concern. It is increasingly evident that longitudinal studies are essential to understand the impact of homelessness on the lives of women and children and the mechanisms involved in their entering or exiting from the homeless population. In the survey currently underway, """"""""Women and Children in a Continuum of Residential Stability"""""""", 300 homeless women with dependent children selected from shelters and transitional living programs in Baltimore, and 300 similar women from low-income housing developments are being surveyed about themselves and their children using a structured interview schedule and being examined with a standardized psychiatric examination procedure. One child from each woman's family is also being randomly selected and tested with a battery of psychological measures of cognitive development, affective state and social maturity. Support is not being sought to conduct a follow-up of these women and children at 12 and 24 months after the initial interview and examination.
The aims of the follow-up will be to determine what changes have occurred in the housing status, the well-being and mental states of mothers and children and the developmental progress made by the children over the two year period, to ascertain what factors are associated with becoming homeless, or escaping from homelessness, and to determine if there are any differences in the patterns of utilization of mental health and substance abuse services between housed and homeless women over the follow-up period.
