Sociodemographic, clinical and help‐seeking characteristics of homeless young people with recent onset of psychosis enrolled in specialized early intervention services. Issue 4 (2nd September 2020) - Lee, Rufina
Abstract: Aim: To examine differences in demographic, clinical, social, functional and help‐seeking characteristics of homeless vs housed individuals enrolled in specialized early intervention teams in the United States. Methods: Participants comprised 1349 individuals enrolled across 21 teams. Teams report individual‐level data including homelessness status at admission. Bivariate differences between homeless and housed participants were analysed using Wilcoxon‐rank, chi‐square, Fisher‐exact and t tests, as appropriate. Results: Approximately 5% of participants were homeless at admission. Homeless participants were less likely to be enrolled in school and/or employed (12.2% vs 43.4%); to have more involvement in the legal system (23.0% vs 6.2%); and to have had a more restrictive pathway to care, than housed participants. Conclusions: Homeless young people with recent‐onset psychosis have a substantially greater need for a diversity of services for psychosocial needs. Homeless individuals may also have a more adverse pathway to care and directed outreach to engage this population may be needed.