This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Harpaz-Rotem I, Rosenheck RA, Desai R. Residential treatment for homeless female veterans with psychiatric and substance use disorders: Effect on 1-year clinical outcomes. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2011;48(8):891–900. DOI:10.1682/JRRD.2010.10.0195

Residential treatment for homeless female veterans with

psychiatric and substance use disorders: Effect on 1-year

clinical outcomes

Ilan Harpaz-Rotem, PhD; Robert A. Rosenheck, MD; Rani Desai, PhD, MPH

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Harpaz-Rotem I, Rosenheck RA, Desai R. Residential treatment for homeless female veterans with psychiatric and substance use disorders: Effect on 1-year clinical outcomes. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2011;48(8):891–900. DOI:10.1682/JRRD.2010.10.0195

• Study Aim– Compare 1-year clinical outcomes of female veterans who

did and did not receive 30+ days of residential treatment (RT).

• Relevance– Epidemiologic research suggests . . .

• Veterans are modestly overrepresented in homeless population.• Female veterans have 3–4 times higher risk for homelessness than

their civilian counterparts.

– Homeless veterans are at high risk for serious mental illness, trauma, and substance abuse .

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Harpaz-Rotem I, Rosenheck RA, Desai R. Residential treatment for homeless female veterans with psychiatric and substance use disorders: Effect on 1-year clinical outcomes. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2011;48(8):891–900. DOI:10.1682/JRRD.2010.10.0195

Methods

• Interviewed clients in 11 different VA Homeless Women Veterans programs every 3 months for 1 year.

• Compared “RT group” (30+ days of RT within 3 months of program entry) with “No RT group” (no or <30 days of RT) on—– Community functioning.– Psychiatric symptoms.– Drug and alcohol use.

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Harpaz-Rotem I, Rosenheck RA, Desai R. Residential treatment for homeless female veterans with psychiatric and substance use disorders: Effect on 1-year clinical outcomes. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2011;48(8):891–900. DOI:10.1682/JRRD.2010.10.0195

Results

• RT group had better outcomes on employment, social support, housing status, and psychiatric symptoms then No RT group.

• However, RT group also had significantly increased use of drugs and alcohol.

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Harpaz-Rotem I, Rosenheck RA, Desai R. Residential treatment for homeless female veterans with psychiatric and substance use disorders: Effect on 1-year clinical outcomes. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2011;48(8):891–900. DOI:10.1682/JRRD.2010.10.0195

Conclusions

• RT may have beneficial effect on mental health outcomes in homeless women.

• Stable housing may be important element of recovery for homeless women with psychiatric problems, excluding substance use.