Goodman L, Saxe L, Harvey M
Boston University.
Am Psychol. 1991 Nov;46(11):1219-25. doi: 10.1037//0003-066x.46.11.1219.
Most mental health literature on homelessness has focused on characteristics that may be risk factors for homelessness. The authors of this article argue that homelessness itself is a risk factor for emotional disorder and use the construct of psychological trauma--focusing on social disaffiliation and learned helplessness--to understand the potential effects of homelessness. Psychological trauma is likely among homeless individuals and families for three reasons. (a) The sudden or gradual loss of one's home can be a stressor of sufficient severity to produce symptoms of psychological trauma. (b) The conditions of shelter life may produce trauma symptoms. (c) Many homeless people--particularly women--become homeless after experiencing physical and sexual abuse and consequent psychological trauma. Research suggests that negative psychological responses to traumatic events can be prevented or mitigated by a supportive and empowering posttrauma environment. The implications of trauma theory for improving the psychosocial conditions of homeless people are discussed.
大多数关于无家可归者的心理健康文献都聚焦于可能成为无家可归风险因素的特征。本文作者认为，无家可归本身就是情绪障碍的一个风险因素，并运用心理创伤的概念——关注社会关系疏离和习得性无助——来理解无家可归的潜在影响。无家可归的个人和家庭中可能存在心理创伤，原因有三。(a) 个人突然或逐渐失去住所，可能成为严重程度足以引发心理创伤症状的压力源。(b) 收容所的生活条件可能产生创伤症状。(c) 许多无家可归者——尤其是女性——在遭受身体和性虐待以及随之而来的心理创伤后变得无家可归。研究表明，创伤事件后的支持性和赋权性环境可以预防或减轻对创伤性事件的负面心理反应。本文讨论了创伤理论对改善无家可归者心理社会状况的启示。
