 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Debra J. Rog, PhD, Angelo Ponirakis, PhD, and Jaime Marra, BS. Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies, 1915 I Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006, 202-833-3512, debra.j.rog@vanderbilt.edu
The CMHS/CSAT Homeless Families Program is the first national initiative designed to study the processes and outcomes of interventions for homeless families. Eight sites are engaged in three year studies in which homeless families are involved in either a treatment or comparison intervention. In this particular initiative, the focus is on female headed households in which the mother is currently experiencing a mental health, trauma, and/or substance abuse disorder. This presentation will describe the background characteristics and needs of over 1400 mothers and their children, highlighting the intensity of those needs and the extent to which they were unmet at baseline. Preliminary baseline data indicate that families are showing more extreme mental health (e.g., BSI) and substance abuse (e.g., ASI) indicators than both originally expected and found in prior studies examining similar populations. Reasons for these changes over time will be discussed. In addition, differences among the sites will be highlighted, and explanations for the differences (e.g., differences in recruitment, referral, context) will be made. Finally, the implications of the family characteristics (including child data) for intervention and the extent to which outcomes are likely will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.