BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
URL: http://jccnc.iums.ac.ir/article-1-273-en.html
2- Department of Psychology and Education Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Khatam University, Tehran, Iran. ,
3- Department of Assessment and Measurement, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran.
Background: Homelessness is a common phenomenon in all human societies and leads to many social, psychological, and physical consequences for the homeless people and society. This study aimed to determine the role of psychological and social security in predicting depression among women living in the homeless shelters of Tehran.
Methods: It was a descriptive correlational study. The research population included all women living in the homeless shelters of Tehran, in 2020. The subjects were selected using random, multistage cluster sampling. Two homeless shelters were selected. The final sample included 150 women. The data were collected using the security-insecurity inventory and the Beck depression inventory. The collected data were analyzed using the multiple regression analysis in SPSS V. 22.
Results: The results showed that the feeling of psychological security predicts depression in women (R=0.48). Also, 23% of the variances in depression were explained by psychological security. Therefore, psychological security can predict depression (with 99% confidence) in these women. Moreover, the feeling of social security can predict the rate of depression in women (MR=-0.55). This implies that approximately 30% of the variances of depression can be explained by social security. The beta coefficient for social security was -0.55. Accordingly, social security can predict depression (with 99% confidence) in women living in homeless shelters. The negative signs of the beta coefficients indicated a negative relationship between the predictor and the criterion variables. In other words, the higher the psychological and social security, the lower the rate of depression in women.
Conclusion: This study showed that the psychological and social security levels of these women were correlated with the degree of depression experienced. Using the insights from this study, counselors, psychiatric nurses, and other mental health professionals are suggested to create a friendly and safe environment for clients to express their feelings and lessen their depression.
● Women become homeless due to addiction, family problems, economic poverty, and poor social conditions.
● Homeless women are suffering from sexual and physical harassment, depression, malnutrition, mental insecurity, and suicidal ideation.
● Depression is a severe mental illness among women living in homeless shelters and is rooted in their feelings of psychological and social security.
● Psychological security can predict depression in women living in homeless shelters.
● Social security can predict depression in women living in homeless shelters.
Plain Language Summary
The number of homeless women is increasing all over the world. Rapid social and technological changes; social problems, such as separation and divorce; economic poverty; unemployment; drug and alcohol addiction; the seeking of asylum due to war; and mental disorders are all reasons for women to be homeless. Thus, one of the goals of social welfare in any society is paying attention to mental health and empowering these people to have an independent life. As shown in this study, depression is prevalent in these women because of a variety of reasons, including psychological and social insecurity and the lack of a bright future.
Received: 2020/10/2 | Accepted: 2020/10/26 | Published: 2020/11/1
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
Copyright © The Author(s);
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-By-NC), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Contact Information
