Common mental disorders and resilience in homeless persons

Cross-sectional study with 49 homeless persons, assisted in the Casa da Acolhida Adulta and the Specialized Reference Center in a municipality in the Northeast of Brazil. Data collection performed between February and March 2018, using SRQ20 scales for common mental disorders and another for Resilience. Kruskal Wallis test, Student’s T-test and Chi-Square test were used.

Results:

In the study, 61.2% (30) participants have poor sleep; 69.4% (34) feel nervous, tense or worried; 71.4% (35) feel unhappy; 63.3% are unable to play a useful role in their lives; 71.4% (35) have common mental disorders, and 44.9% (22) presented low resilience. Resilience influences common mental disorders, which, in turn, are influenced by gender and age.

Conclusion:

Professionals who assist homeless persons need to have a look directed at common mental disorders and resilience.

Descriptors:
Mental Disorders; Resilience, Psychological; Homeless Persons; Mental Health; Nursing

Questions	Answers
	n		%
	Yes	No	Yes	No
Do you often have headaches?	18	31	36.7	63.3
Is your appetite poor?	14	35	28.6	71.4
Do you sleep badly?	30	19	61.2	38.8
Are you easily frightened?	22	27	44.9	55.1
Do your hands shake?	15	34	30.6	69.4
Do you feel nervous, tense, or worried?	34	15	69.4	30.6
Is your digestion poor?	8	41	16.3	83.7
Do you have trouble thinking clearly?	17	32	34.7	65.3
Do you feel unhappy?	35	14	71.4	28.6
Do you cry more than usual?	21	28	42.9	57.1
Do you find it difficult to enjoy your daily activities?	17	32	34.7	65.3
Do you find it difficult to make decisions?	29	20	59.2	40.8
Does your daily work make you to suffer?	18	31	36.7	63.3
Are you unable to play a useful role in your life?	31	18	63.3	36.7
Have you lost interest in things?	28	21	57.1	42.9
Do you feel you are a worthless person?	13	36	26.5	73.5
Has the thought of ending your life been in your mind?	18	31	36.7	63.3
Do you feel tired all the time?	18	31	36.7	63.3
Are you easily tired?	22	27	44.9	55.1
Do you have uncomfortable feelings in your stomach?	12	37	24.5	75.5

Items	Disagree			^* * NAND = Neither Agree Nor Disagree; TD=Totally Disagree; DLO=Disagree a lot; DLI= Disagree a little; ALI= Agree a Little; ALO= Agree a Lot; TA= Totally Agree. NAND	Agree
	n/%			n/%	n/%
	TD	DLO	DLI		ALI	ALO	TA
When I make plans, I go ahead with them.	3/6.1	-	5/10.2	2/4.1	9/18.4	8/16.3	22/44.9
I usually deal with problems one way or another.	-	2/4.1	5/10.2	6/12.2	9/18.4	7/14.3	20/40.8
I am able to depend on me more than on anyone else.	2/4.1	1/2	3/6.1	4/8.2	10/20.4	8/16.3	21/42.9
Keeping interest in things is important to me.	-	-	3/6.1	7/14.3	3/6.1	12/24.5	24/49
I can be on my own if I need to.	2/4.1	1/2	1/2	4/8.2	9/18.4	8/16.3	29/49
I am proud of having accomplished things in my life.	16/32.7	1/2	3/6.1	3/6.1	6/12.2	8/16.3	12/24.5
I usually accept things without much concern.	8/16.3	4/8.2	11/22.4	2/4.1	2/4.1	7/14.3	15/30.6
I am friends with myself.	1/2	-	3/6.1	4/8.2	6/12.2	8/16.3	27/55.1
I feel I am able to handle several things at a time.	7/14.3	4/8.2	7/14.3	3/6.1	7/14.3	4/8.2	17/34.7
I am a determined person.	2/4.1	3/6.1	5/10.2	2/4.1	5/10.2	5/10.2	27/55.1
I rarely think about the purpose of things.	7/14.3	1/2	10/20.4	7/14.3	10/20.4	6/12.2	8/16.3
I do things one day at a time.	2/4.1	1/2	2/4.1	4/8.2	11/22.4	15/30.6	14/28.6
I am able to face hard times because I have experienced difficulties before.	3/6.1	1/2	2/4.1	3/6.1	3/6.1	10/20.4	27/55.1
I am a disciplined person.	7/14.3	1/2	5/10.2	4/8.2	10/20.4	4/8.2	18/36.7
I keep interest in things.	2/4.1	2/4.1	5/10.2	1/2	9/18.4	9/18.4	21/42.9
I can usually find reason to smile.	15/30.6	4/8.2	5/10.2	4/8.2	4/8.2	5/10.2	12/24.5
Believing in myself leads me to overcome difficult times.	2/4.1	1/2	5/10.2	3/6.1	5/10.2	11/22.4	22/44.9
In an emergency, I am a person who people can count on.	1/2	-	1/2	8/16.3	6/12.2	5/10.2	28/57.1
I am able to usually look at a situation in several ways.	-	1/2	1/2	5/10.2	9/18.4	12/24.5	21/42.9
Sometimes I oblige myself to do things, willing or not.	6/12.2	1/2	-	6/12.2	4/8.2	9/18.4	23/46.9
My life has meaning.	10/20.4	7/14.3	7/14.3	2/4.1	4/8.2	4/8.2	15/30.6
I do not insist on things about which I can do nothing.	6/12.2	4/8.2	3/6.1	2/4.1	11/22.4	8/16.3	15/30.6
When I am in a difficult situation, I usually find a way out.	2/4.1	2/4.1	2/4.1	7/14.3	9/18.4	13/26.5	14/28.6
I have enough energy to do what I have to do.	1/2	1/2	7/14.3	1/2	9/18.4	11/22.4	19/38.3
It is okay if there are people who do not like me.	-	3/6.1	2/4.1	5/10.2	6/12.2	5/10.2	28/57.1

Variables	Median ± Standard Deviation	Statistical
Variables	Median ± Standard Deviation	n	%
Common Mental Disorders	8.3 ± 4.46
Presence		35	71.4
Absence		14	28.6
Total		49	100
Resilience	131.67 ± 21.57
Low Resilience		22	44.9
Medium Resilience		14	28.6
High Resilience		13	26.5
Total		49	100

Hypothesis	Test	P	Conduct
Common mental disorders influence resilience classification.	Kruskal Wallis	0.114	It rejects the hypothesis
Resilience classification is influenced by length of homelessness.	Kruskal Wallis	0.157	It rejects the hypothesis
Resilience scale score influences common mental disorder scale score.	T Test	0.000	It accepts the hypothesis
Common mental disorder classification is influenced by gender.	Chi-Square test	0.003	It accepts the hypothesis
Resilience classification is influenced by gender.	Chi-Square test	0.000	It accepts the hypothesis
Age influences resilience classification.	Kruskal Wallis	0.481	It rejects the hypothesis
Age influences common mental disorder scale score.	Chi-Square test	0.003	It accepts the hypothesis

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[1] Corresponding Author: Anna Cláudia Freire de Araújo Patrício. E-mail: claudia.freirearaujo@gmail.com