TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - Homelessness, discrimination, and violent victimization in Los Angeles County
JO  - American journal of preventive medicine
A1  - Padwa, Howard
A1  - Chien, Jessie
A1  - Henwood, Benjamin F.
A1  - Cousins, Sarah J.
A1  - Zakher, Edward
A1  - Kuhn, Randall
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - INTRODUCTION: People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are highly vulnerable to discrimination and violence, which impact physical and mental health. The study examines past-month discrimination and violence against PEH in Los Angeles County (LAC). <br><br>METHODS: 332 PEH in LAC were surveyed about their past-month experiences with discrimination, physical violence, and sexual violence from April-July 2023. Analyses were conducted in 2023. <br><br>RESULTS: 31.8% of respondents reported experiencing discrimination daily and 53.9% reported it weekly, whereas rates of lifetime discrimination in studies of general populations of minoritized groups range between 13-60%. Nearly half of respondents who reported experiencing discrimination (49.6%) believed that their housing situation was the reason they were targeted. Victimization was also common, with 16.0% of participants experiencing physical violence and 7.5% experiencing sexual violence in the past 30 days. These rates of past-month victimization are high when compared to past-year physical violence (3.0%) and sexual violence (0.24%) among general populations in major U.S. cities. In multivariate regression analyses, discrimination was associated with being unsheltered in a vehicle (p<0.05) or outdoors (p<0.001), weekly illicit drug use (p<0.01), and psychological distress (p<0.001); violent victimization was associated with being sheltered (p<0.05) or unsheltered outdoors (p<0.001), physical health conditions (p<0.05), and psychological distress (p<0.01); and sexual victimization was associated with non-male gender (p<0.05) and being unsheltered outdoors (p<0.05). Discrimination and victimization outcomes were not associated with any race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or time homeless characteristics. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Study findings highlight the dangers of homelessness in the U.S., particularly for those who are unsheltered outdoors.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0749-3797
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2024.06.016
ID  - ref1
ER  -