Faculty of Health Sciences, Elborn College, Occupational Therapy, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
Modern Occupational Therapy, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Health Soc Care Community. 2022 Nov;30(6):e5047-e5061. doi: 10.1111/hsc.13920. Epub 2022 Jul 26.
Research on rural homelessness focuses primarily on describing the experiences and prevalence of homelessness in rural contexts, with little focus on intervention strategies. We conducted a case study of the 'Big Island Model' (BIM), a novel approach to providing housing and support to individuals experiencing homelessness that has been developed for, and reflects, a rural context. We interviewed 13 participants (n = 10 men; n = 3 women) supported by the BIM using mixed interviews including qualitative and quantitative components exploring experiences of living within this model and aspects of psychosocial well-being. Descriptive statistics were calculated to represent demographic data and participants' scores on standardised measures. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were conducted with threshold scores and population norms derived from existing literature to identify any differences between residents' median scores on each standardised scale and scores derived from published literature. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. On measures of meaningful activity, residents reported significantly lower levels of boredom (p < 0.01) and a greater degree of engagement in productivity (p < 0.01) compared with participants in other studies. Mental well-being was reported to be higher (p < 0.05) and drug use was significantly lower than a low-moderate range (p < 0.01). Community integration scores revealed significantly lower physical integration (p < 0.05) and significantly higher psychological integration than individuals who had transitioned to housing in another study (p < 0.001). Our analysis of qualitative interviews resulted in the identification of a central essence characterising residents' experiences: 'Becoming Through Belonging'. This essence was represented by four distinct themes: (1) the healing qualities of nature; (2) being meaningfully occupied; (3) living in a mutually supportive environment; and (4) this place is here to help.
农村无家可归问题的研究主要集中在描述农村背景下无家可归者的经历和普遍性，而很少关注干预策略。我们对“大岛模式”（BIM）进行了案例研究，这是一种为农村背景下的无家可归者提供住房和支持的新方法，反映并适应了农村背景。我们使用混合访谈的方式采访了 13 名接受 BIM 支持的参与者（n=10 名男性；n=3 名女性），其中包括定性和定量部分，探索了他们在这种模式下的生活经历和心理社会福祉的各个方面。我们计算了描述性统计数据来表示人口统计数据和参与者在标准测量上的得分。我们进行了 Wilcoxon 符号秩检验，并使用来自现有文献的阈值分数和人群常模，来确定居民在每个标准量表上的中位数分数与来自已发表文献的分数之间的任何差异。我们使用主题分析对定性数据进行了分析。在有意义的活动方面的衡量标准上，与其他研究的参与者相比，居民报告的无聊程度明显较低（p<0.01），参与生产性活动的程度更高（p<0.01）。报告的心理健康水平更高（p<0.05），药物使用显著低于低中度范围（p<0.01）。社区融入评分显示，身体融入程度明显较低（p<0.05），心理融入程度明显高于另一项研究中过渡到住房的个体（p<0.001）。我们对定性访谈的分析得出了一个中心本质，它描述了居民的体验：“通过归属而成长”。这一本质由四个不同的主题体现：（1）自然的治愈品质；（2）有意义的职业；（3）生活在相互支持的环境中；（4）这个地方是来帮忙的。
