Stressful Life Events

Stressful Life Events and Homelessness

Recently, much research has focused on the relationship between these vital events and homelessness. In general, events related to economic or work crises, losses or the breaking up of social relations, and victimization processes in various vital points of the lives of homeless persons have received the most attention. The studies carried out in the attempt to clarify these relationships reveal important methodological advances: Sampling strategies have been designed to guarantee that the samples are representative, employing increasingly sophisticated comparison groups and more precise measuring instruments.

Research has focused on determining the number and type of events experienced by homeless people in comparison with groups from the general population and with groups of people from economically deprived households. Similarly, the differences between the main subgroups of the homeless population have been studied, with special attention to women, children and young people, and those with chronic and severe mental disorders. The overview of the role played by stressful life events in the onset and persistence of homelessness has been completed by taking into account the subjective viewpoint of the homeless persons.