Social competency and housing instability among women
Abstract
This research examined specific psychological factors associated with housing instability among women. The research goal was the development of a model to increase our understanding of which specific psychosocial factors increase or maintain housing stability. The research question asked how the housing condition among women in the sample was related to social competence, personal support networks, psychiatric impairment, and substance abuse problems. Social competence was defined as problem solving skill. Assessment of social competence focused on detecting skills deficits in the generation of alternative solutions to specific situations; ascertaining whether the respondents used problem-solving as a coping method; and measuring self-efficacy with regard to problem solving skills. The results showed that short-term housing stability was best predicted by situation variables (e.g., employment, age, number of children) and that long-term housing stability was best predicted by personological variables, especially belief in one's problem-solving ability and the use of problem-solving coping strategies. A method of measuring housing stability was derived by combining housing history with ratings of housing quality obtained from service providers. The Quality Adjusted Housing Rating (QAHR) provides a continuous measure of housing quality/stability. In contrast to simple categorical or dichotomous measures of homeless status, the QAHR potentiates a greater refinement in the study of homelessness by providing a method of quantifying housing situations in terms of time, safety, independence, hygiene, comfort, and stability.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
McGrew, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Social psychology|Womens studies
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