Investigating the Roles of Neighborhood Environments and Housing-Based Social Support in the Relocation of Persons Made Homeless by Hurricane Katrina

Abstract

This study examined whether social support tied to relocation efforts and neighborhood social climate may mediate the effects of stressful life events on mental health outcomes following Hurricane Katrina. Participants were 108 adult persons made homeless by Hurricane Katrina and evacuated to Columbia, South Carolina. Civic leaders developed an intervention model that emphasized (a) a one-stop point of entry, (b) living in hotels and apartments rather than shelters, and (c) matching hotels with volunteer “hosts” to assist in relocation efforts. Results revealed that perceived neighborhood factors and satisfaction with host relationship were related to several mental health outcomes. Neighborhood social climate partially mediated several mental health outcomes. Implications of this intervention model and the utility of social ecological perspectives on homelessness interventions are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• homelessness
• Hurricane Katrina
• mental health
• neighborhood
• social ecology

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation, grant #0554924 and a National Institute of Mental Health grant, MH65439.

Notes

Note: NSC = Neighborhood Social Climate; Host = Relationship with Relocation Host; LEI = Life Events Inventory; BSI-Dep = Brief Symptom Inventory–Depression subscale; BSI-Anx = Brief Symptom Inventory–Anxiety subscale; IES-R = Impact of Event Scale–Revised (PTSD); PANAS-PA = Positive and Negative Affect Schedule–Positive Affect subscale; PANAS-NA = Positive and Negative Affect Schedule–Negative Affect subscale; AUDIT = Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test.

∗p < .05, ∗∗p < .01.

Note: BSI-Dep = Brief Symptom Inventory–Depression subscale; BSI-Anx = Brief Symptom Inventory–Anxiety subscale; IES-R = Impact of Event Scale–Revised (PTSD); PANAS-PA = Positive and Negative Affect Schedule–Positive Affect subscale; PANAS-NA = Positive and Negative Affect Schedule–Negative Affect subscale; AUDIT = Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; Results include Betas and R ²s presented from regression analyses conducted separately for each mental health outcome.

∗p < .05, ∗∗p < .01, ∗∗∗p < .001.

Note: BSI-Dep = Brief Symptom Inventory–Depression subscale; BSI-Anx = Brief Symptom Inventory–Anxiety subscale; IES-R = Impact of Event Scale–Revised (PTSD); PANAS-NA = Positive and Negative Affect Schedule–Negative Affect subscale; AUDIT = Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; Results include Betas and R ²s presented from regression analyses conducted separately for each mental health outcome.

∗p < .05, ∗∗p < .01, ∗∗∗p < .001.