Homelessness is socially created: cluster analysis of Social Determinants of Homelessness (SODH) in North West England in 2020
Journal article
Authors | Mabhala, M., Esealuka, W. A., Nwufo, A. N., Enyinna, C., Mabhala, C. N., Udechukwu, T., Reid, J. and Yohannes, A. |
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Abstract | Poverty creates social conditions that increase the likelihood of homelessness. These include exposure to traumatic life experiences; social disadvantages such as poor educational experiences; being raised in a broken family, care homes or foster care; physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; and neglect at an early age. These conditions reduce people’s ability to negotiate through life challenges. This cross-sectional study documents the clustering and frequency of adverse social conditions among 152 homeless people from four cities in North West England between January and August 2020. Two-step cluster analysis showed that having parents with a criminal record, care history, and child neglect/abuse history was predictive of homelessness. The cluster of indicator variables among homeless people included sexual abuse (χ2 (N = 152) = 220.684, p < 0.001, Cramer’s V = 0.7), inappropriate sexual behaviour (χ2 (N = 152) = 207.737, p < 0.001, Cramer’s V = 0.7), emotional neglect (χ2 (N = 152) = 181.671, p < 0.001, Cramer’s V = 0.7), physical abuse by step-parent (χ2 (N = 152) = 195.882, p < 0.001, Cramer’s V = 0.8), and physical neglect (χ2 (N = 152) = 205.632, p < 0.001, Cramer’s V = 0.8). Poverty and homelessness are intertwined because of the high prevalence of poverty among the homeless. Poverty sets up a chain of interactions between social conditions that increase the likelihood of unfavourable outcomes: homelessness is at the end of the interaction chain. Interventions supporting families to rise out of poverty may also reduce entry into homelessness. |
Keywords | homelessness; poverty; inequalities;; two-step cluster analysis |
Year | 2021 |
Journal | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
Journal citation | 18 (6), pp. 1-14 |
Publisher | MDPI |
ISSN | 1660-4601 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063066 |
Web address (URL) | https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/6/3066 |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 16 Mar 2021 |
Publication process dates | |
Accepted | 12 Mar 2021 |
Deposited | 05 Sep 2025 |
https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/qzx87/homelessness-is-socially-created-cluster-analysis-of-social-determinants-of-homelessness-sodh-in-north-west-england-in-2020
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