COVID-19 is hitting the mental health of homeless women in the USA hard

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-07-15 01:00

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A US study surveyed mental health symptoms and social challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic among 128 women who were homeless or in unstable housing in San Francisco. They found around half the women had experienced symptoms of depression or anxiety or both during the pandemic, which affected their ability to seek help for non-COVID-19 related health issues, as well as their ability to manage pre-existing chronic illnesses. Many also reported struggling to get hold of life's basics such as food, clothing, and hygiene products, and felt more socially isolated than before the pandemic hit. More needs to be done to help homeless women access basic goods and services, including healthcare, they say.

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From: JAMA

Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety Among Women Experiencing Homelessness/Unstable Housing During Pandemic

What The Study Did: About half the women experiencing homelessness and unstable housing who were surveyed experienced symptoms of depression or anxiety or both during the pandemic and, in addition to unmet subsistence needs and social isolation, these symptoms were associated with increased challenges accessing non-COVID-19 care and managing symptoms for chronic medical conditions.

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Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of California, San Francisco, USA

Funder: This research was supported by RGPO Emergency COVID-19 Research Seed Funding provided by the California HIV/AIDS Research Program of the University of California (grant R00RG3097 to Dr Riley) and the NIH (grants R01 DA037012, R01 DA049648, and K24 DA039780 to Dr Riley). Dr Satre was also supported by the Dolby Family Center for Mood Disorders at the University of California, San Francisco.

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