CHARACTERISTICS OF HOMELESS WOMEN & THEIR CHILDREN

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This project is designed to conduct a systematic controlled study of homeless mothers and their children to assess social, psychiatric and developmental status of the children. In the mothers, factors associated with homelessness and the interplay of alcohol disorders and other psychopathology will be explored; the relationship of these factors with psychiatric and developmental problems in their children will be examined. Structured interviews will be conducted on all available children under age 17 of the 300 randomly sampled homeless women who are [being] interviewed using the DIS as part of the Principal Investigator's current epidemiological study of the homeless. [Additional homeless mothers will be randomly selected and interviewed utilizing the same methods used in the epidemiological study.] A [total] of [200] mothers and all available children, regardless of whether they are currently with the mother (n=approximately [400] children) will be interviewed. A comparison group of [200] non-homeless mothers and their children (with an expected average of two per mother) who are living in neighborhoods where the homeless women previously resided will also be interviewed. Thus a total of approximately [800] children from [400] female-headed families will be interviewed for this project. Identification of the special mental health and other needs of homeless women and their children and their utilization of services may help those serving this population to design the most effective programs of prevention and intervention.