Brief hope-building intervention for adults actively experiencing homelessness: effect of participation on dispositional hope, satisfaction with life, and perceived standing in society

ABSTRACT

Homelessness is a major threat to overall wellbeing. Individuals and families experiencing homelessness have higher rates of chronic and infectious diseases than the general population, including most mental illnesses. They also tend to have much lower levels of hope than the general population. While working to obtain stable housing, people experiencing homelessness can benefit from psychosocial support strategies. Strategies to leverage positive psychological factors, such as hope, satisfaction with life, and perceived standing in society, are associated with improved health status and other wellbeing indicators in vulnerable populations. The primary objective of this exploratory study was to determine if a brief, open, small-group intervention at a homeless daytime drop-in center could increase levels of hope, satisfaction with life, and perceived standing in society. This intervention did not produce significant changes in dispositional hope, satisfaction with life, or perceived standing in society. The principal findings of this exploratory study signal a possible need for more thorough and long-term efforts in populations experiencing homelessness.

KEYWORDS:

• Homelessness
• hope theory
• satisfaction with life
• perceived standing in society
• goal attainment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Ashten R. Duncan

Ashten R. Duncan, MD, MPH, CPH, is a second-year resident physician in the University of New Mexico-Santa Fe Family Medicine Residency Program and researcher in the areas of positive psychology, healthcare delivery, and lifestyle medicine.

Sarah Beth Bell

Sarah Beth Bell, PhD, is a social psychologist, staff scientist, and biostatistician for the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine and the College of Public Health.

Chan M. Hellman

Chan M. Hellman, PhD, is a professor in the Anne & Henry Zarrow School of Social Work and founding director of the Hope Research Center at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa.