Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Intervention to address homelessness and all-cause and suicide mortality among unstably housed US Veterans, 2012-2016.

Montgomery AE, Dichter M, Byrne T, Blosnich J. Intervention to address homelessness and all-cause and suicide mortality among unstably housed US Veterans, 2012-2016. Journal of epidemiology and community health. 2020 Nov 18.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

BACKGROUND: People without stable housing-and Veterans specifically-are at increased risk of suicide. This study assessed whether unstably housed Veterans' participation in homeless services is associated with reduced risk of all-cause and suicide mortality. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used a sample of 169 221 Veterans across the US who self-reported housing instability between 1 October 2012 and 30 September 2016. Multivariable Cox regression models assessed the association between Veterans' utilisation of homeless services and all-cause and suicide mortality, adjusting for sociodemographics and severity of medical comorbidities. RESULTS: More than one-half of unstably housed Veterans accessed homeless services during the observation period; utilisation of any homeless services was associated with a 6% reduction in hazards for all-cause mortality (adjusted HR[aHR] = 0.94, 95% CI[CI] = 0.90-0.98). An increasing number of homeless services used was associated with significantly reduced hazards of both all-cause (aHR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.91-0.95) and suicide mortality (aHR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.73-0.89). CONCLUSIONS: The use of homeless services among Veterans reporting housing instability was significantly associated with reduced hazards of all-cause and suicide mortality. Addressing suicide prevention and homelessness together-and ensuring 'upstream' interventions-within the context of the VHA healthcare system holds promise for preventing suicide deaths among Veterans. Mental health treatment is critical for suicide prevention, but future research should investigate if social service programmes, by addressing unmet human needs, may also reduce suicide.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.