MENTAL-HEALTH PROBLEMS OF HOMELESS CHILDREN AND FAMILIES - LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

Objective: To establish the mental health needs of homeless children a nd families before and after rehousing. Design: Cross sectional, longi tudinal study. Setting: City of Birmingham. Subjects: 58 rehoused fami lies with 103 children aged 2-16 years and 21 comparison families of l ow socioeconomic status in stable housing, with 54 children.Main outco me measures: Children's mental health problems and level of communicat ion; mothers' mental health problems and social support one year after rehousing. Results: Mental health problems remained significantly hig her in rehoused mothers and their children than in the comparison grou p (mothers 26% v 5%, P = 0.04; children 39% v 11%, P = 0.0003). Homele ss mothers continued to have significantly less social support at foll ow up. Mothers with a history of abuse and poor social integration wer e more likely to have children with persistent mental health problems. Conclusions: Homeless families have a high level of complex needs tha t cannot be met by conventional health services and arrangements. Loca l strategies for rapid rehousing into permanent accommodation, effecti ve social support and health care for parents and children, and protec tion from violence and intimidation should be developed and implemente d.