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Alcoholism is the mental health issue that best predicts the mortality of individuals experiencing homelessness.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2024

F. Calvo ,
C. Giralt ,
X. Solench-Arco ,
X. Carbonell  and
S. Font-Mayolas
F. Calvo*
Affiliation:
1Departament de Pedagogia, Institut de Recerca sobre Qualitat de Vida
C. Giralt
Affiliation:
2Institut Català de la Salut, Centre d’Atenció Primària Blanes 2
X. Solench-Arco
Affiliation:
3Universitat de Girona, Girona
X. Carbonell
Affiliation:
4FPCEE Blanquerna, Barcelona
S. Font-Mayolas
Affiliation:
5Departament de Psicologia, Institut de Recerca sobre Qualitat de Vida, Girona, Spain
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The mortality rate among individuals experiencing homelessness tends to be premature and is linked to mental disorders and chronic diseases. In Spain, there is a significant gap in the study of mortality among individuals in situations of residential exclusion with real clinical data.

Objectives

This study aims to analyze mortality among individuals experiencing homelessness and its relationship with mental disorders and chronic diseases.

Methods

An observational and prospective longitudinal study was conducted on a cohort of 855 homeless individuals in the province of Girona over a 15-year period. Sociodemographic variables, mental health conditions, chronic diseases, and infections were analyzed, employing descriptive and inferential analyses. A binary logistic regression model was created to establish explanatory relationships between mortality and associated variables.

Results

Among the participants, 87.7% were males with an average age of 53.03 years. A majority of 62.8% were foreign-born, mainly from Africa and Europe. It was identified that 40.8% had mental disorders, with substance dependencies (41.3%) and other disorders (36.4%) being the most prevalent. A total of 30.6% presented chronic diseases, notably hypertension (12.8%) and type 2 diabetes (10.9%). Furthermore, 22.3% had infections, with hepatitis C virus (8.7%) and HIV (4.7%) being the most common. During the follow-up period, 81 individuals (16.4%) passed away, with causes such as cancer (25%), suicide (21.7%), and heart conditions (11.7%).

The regression analysis demonstrated that age (OR = 0.915; 95% CI 0.884-0.947), alcohol addiction (OR = 2.354; 95% CI 1.486-3.731), and being born in Spain (OR = 2.906; 95% CI 1.594-5.299) were significantly associated with mortality in the homeless population.

Conclusions

This study highlights the high prevalence of mental disorders, chronic diseases, and infections among individuals experiencing homelessness. Mortality was associated with factors such as age, alcohol addiction, and place of birth. These findings underscore the importance of developing interventions aimed at enhancing the health and care of individuals experiencing homelessness, particularly within the immigrant population.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 67 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 32nd European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2024 , pp. S184 - S185
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Psychiatric Association
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