Caribbean Homeless Women Veterans: Military and Psychosocial Characteristics and the Association of Service-connected Disabilities.

Abstract

Women Veterans are one of the fastest growing groups among homeless people. Previous studies on race, ethnicity and homelessness have emphasized the important differences on predictors, health risks, behaviors, and service outcomes between different groups. These differences are crucial to inform policy makers and program developers in order to solve this social issue. This research assesses sociodemographic, psychosocial and military characteristics and their role in service-connected disabilities to provide a profile of the Caribbean Homeless Women Veteran of the U.S. military. We evaluated 46 healthcare records of women Veterans who requested services at the Homeless Program of the VA Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS) from 2005 to 2014. Statistical analyses consisted of Chi square, Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon-Rank Sum tests, and Logistic Regression. Extreme poverty, unemployment, unaffordable housing, psychological disorders and low social support were the most prevalent characteristics. Women with psychological disorders had eight times higher the odds of having a service-connected disability than women without psychological conditions. Implications of study results are discussed for VACHS and future research with this population.