Differences in housing transitions and changes in health and self-determination between formerly homeless individuals.

Background: To reduce homelessness, it is important to gain a better understanding of the differences between homeless people who remain in institutions and those who gain and can sustain independent housing. This longitudinal study explores differences in housing transitions and differences in changes in health and self-determination between formerly homeless people still living in institutions 2.5 years later and those now living in independent housing in the Netherlands.

Changes in Social Exclusion Indicators and Psychological Distress Among Homeless People Over a 2.5-Year Period.

Although homelessness is inherently associated with social exclusion, homeless individuals are rarely included in conventional studies on social exclusion. Use of longitudinal survey data from a cohort study on homeless people in four major Dutch cities ( = 378) allowed to examine: changes in indicators of social exclusion among homeless people over a 2.5-year period after reporting to the social relief system, and associations between changes in indicators of social exclusion and changes in psychological distress.

Predicting homeless people's perceived health after entering the social relief system in The Netherlands.

Objectives: We explored whether changes in the perceived health of homeless people after entering the social relief system (SRS) in The Netherlands were predicted by housing, income, hours of work, social support, unmet care needs, arrests, physical and mental health, substance use, and experiences of autonomy, competence and relatedness, in addition to perceived health at baseline, demographics, suspected intellectual disability, the duration of homelessness and the company of children in the shelter facility.

Methods: A hierarchical regression analysis was used to explore the significant predictors of the perceived health of 344 homeless persons 18 months after entering the social relief system.

Results: A decrease in psychological distress and an increase in hours of (paid/voluntary) work as well as competence predicted a better perceived health.

Dutch homeless people 2.5 years after shelter admission: what are predictors of housing stability and housing satisfaction?

Housing stability is an important focus in research on homeless people. Although definitions of stable housing differ across studies, the perspective of homeless people themselves is generally not included. Therefore, this study explored the inclusion of satisfaction with the participant's current housing status as part of the definition of housing stability and also examined predictors of housing stability with and without the inclusion of homeless person's perspective.

Self-reported care needs of Dutch homeless people with and without a suspected intellectual disability: a 1.5-year follow-up study.

Cognitive impairment is a prevalent problem among the homeless and seems related to more psychosocial problems. However, little is known about the care needs of the subgroup of homeless people with an intellectual disability compared to those without an intellectual disability and how their care needs develop over time. This study explores self-reported care needs within a broad range of life domains among Dutch homeless people with and without a suspected intellectual disability to gain insight into the transition of self-reported care needs from baseline to follow-up in both subgroups.

Substance use among Dutch homeless people, a follow-up study: prevalence, pattern and housing status.

Background: Previous studies have shown that substance use among homeless people is a prevalent problem that is associated with longer durations of homelessness. Most studies of substance use among the homeless were carried out outside Europe and have limited generalizability to European countries. This study therefore aimed to address the prevalence of substance use among homeless people in the Netherlands, the pattern of their use and the relationship with housing status at follow-up.

Fidelity of a strengths-based intervention used by dutch shelters for homeless young adults.

Objective: In a cluster randomized controlled trial, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of and fidelity to Houvast (Dutch for "grip"), a strengths-based intervention to improve the quality of life for homeless young adults.

Methods: Fidelity was measured six months after professionals and team leaders at five Dutch shelters for homeless young adults finished their training in Houvast. Fidelity was measured with the Dutch version of the strengths model fidelity scale, which consists of ten indicators distributed across three subscales: structure, supervision, and clinical practice.

Intellectual disability among Dutch homeless people: prevalence and related psychosocial problems.

Background: There is a higher prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) among homeless people than in the general population. However, little is known about the additional psychosocial problems faced by homeless people with ID. We describe the prevalence of ID in a cohort of homeless people in the Netherlands, and report relationships between ID and psychosocial problems in terms of psychological distress, substance (mis)use and dependence, as well as demographic characteristics in this cohort.

A strengths based method for homeless youth: effectiveness and fidelity of Houvast.

Background: While homelessness among youth is a serious problem, there is little information about evidence-based interventions for homeless youth. In cooperation with professionals and youths, Wolf (2012) developed Houvast (Dutch for 'grip'): a strengths based method grounded in scientific and practice evidence. The main aim of Houvast is to improve the quality of life of homeless youths by focusing on their strengths, thus stimulating their capacity for autonomy and self-reliance.

Predictors of quality of life: a quantitative investigation of the stress-coping model in children with asthma.

Background: Aim of this study is to further explore predictors of health related quality of life in children with asthma using factors derived from to the extended stress-coping model. While the stress-coping model has often been used as a frame of reference in studying health related quality of life in chronic illness, few have actually tested the model in children with asthma.

Method: In this survey study data were obtained by means of self-report questionnaires from seventy-eight children with asthma and their parents.

Goal processes in relation to goal attainment: predicting health-related quality of life in myocardial infarction patients.

Goal theory suggests that both goal attainment and psychological processes concerning goal pursuit can influence a patient's (health-related) quality of life (HRQL) (e.g. Carver & Scheier, 1999).

Goal disturbance in relation to anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life after Myocardial Infarction.

Aim of this cross-sectional study, was to examine whether the sudden event of hospitalization for Myocardial Infarction (MI) would lead to a disturbance in the attainment of important higher order or life goals, and secondly, whether goal importance as well as goal disturbance would be related to emotional distress and health-related quality of life (HRQL) shortly (two to five weeks) after the MI. Respondents were 160 patients who were hospitalized for MI. Results indicate that patients experience goal disturbance as a result of their cardiac event.

Goal disturbance predicts health-related quality of life and depression 4 months after myocardial infarction.

Objectives: The aim of this longitudinal study was to determine whether the event of a myocardial infarction (MI) would lead to a disturbance in important higher-order goals, and whether goal disturbance could predict health-related quality of life (HRQL) and depression 4 months later, in addition to baseline scores, demographic characteristics, presence of anginal complaints (AP) or chest pain, coping strategies and social support.

Method: A total of 113 MI patients completed questionnaires shortly after hospitalization (T1) and 4 months later (T2), assessing (an impact of the event on) important higher-order goals (T1), disease-related coping strategies (T1), perceived adequacy of social support (T2), AP (T2), HRQL, and depression (T2). Two separate hierarchical regression analyses were performed with HRQL and depression at T2 as dependent variables.