DOES SUPPORTED HOUSING PROTECT RECENT IMMIGRANTS FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS

Psychological distress measured by the Talbieh Brief Distress Inventor y was compared between two groups of immigrants: consumers of supporte d housing (N = 302) and non-consumers living in community settings (N = 419), matched by sex, age and education level, Overall, distress lev el was found to be significantly lower in consumers of supported housi ng than in non-consumers. Consumers also exhibited significant lower h ostility, obsessive-compulsive and paranoid ideation symptoms, but the y were similar to nonconsumers on level of depression, anxiety and sen sitivity, The results suggest that supported housing protects recent i mmigrants from environmental stresses to a greater extent than communi ty residence.