Gamache G, Rosenheck R, Tessler R
VA Medical Center, 12 Upper, Leeds, MA 01053-9764, USA.
Mil Med. 2000 Nov;165(11):803-8.
The high proportion of veterans among homeless men is perplexing given the opportunities associated with military service and the benefits long available to veterans. One little-examined risk factor for homelessness is that many homeless men may have received punitive discharges that result in ineligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. Data from a sample of homeless male veterans with mental illness enrolled in the Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports Program are used to examine punitive discharges as a risk factor for homelessness and to compare veterans with punitive and non-punitive discharges on premilitary, military, and postmilitary experiences. Only 7% of homeless veterans received punitive discharges. Pre-military experiences are associated with such discharges, but military experiences are not. Although a punitive discharge is a strong risk factor for subsequent homelessness, such discharges primarily reflect premilitary vulnerabilities and are a relatively minor reason for homelessness because they affect a small proportion of the general veteran population.
考虑到与服兵役相关的机会以及长期以来退伍军人可享受的福利，无家可归男性中退伍军人比例之高令人费解。一个很少被审视的导致无家可归的风险因素是，许多无家可归的男性可能已被惩罚性开除，这导致他们没有资格享受退伍军人事务部的福利。来自参与“获得社区护理及有效服务与支持计划”的患有精神疾病的无家可归男性退伍军人样本的数据，被用于研究惩罚性开除作为无家可归的一个风险因素，并比较有惩罚性和非惩罚性开除记录的退伍军人在入伍前、服役期间和退伍后的经历。只有7%的无家可归退伍军人被惩罚性开除。入伍前的经历与这类开除有关，但服役经历无关。尽管惩罚性开除是随后无家可归的一个重要风险因素，但这类开除主要反映了入伍前的脆弱性，并且是导致无家可归的一个相对较小的原因，因为它们只影响了一小部分退伍军人总体。
