Table 1.
Ethnic differences in the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations among homeless women in Los Angeles: Predisposing Factors
| Total Sample | African American | Hispanic | White | Statistical Sig. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % or mean (SD) | % or mean (SD) | % or mean (SD) | % or mean (SD) | AA-W | AA-H | W-H | |
| Experience of Homelessness | |||||||
| Total years homeless, lifetime | 2.50 (3.74) | 2.56 (3.65) | 1.87 (3.31) | 2.85 (4.38) | --- | --- | .092 |
| Episodes of homelessness, lifetime | 3.26 (7.04) | 3.26 (6.73) | 2.10 (3.71) | 4.35 (9.89) | --- | --- | .025 |
| Age at first homeless episode | 27.45 (8.62) | 28.38 (8.44) | 25.27 (8.63) | 25.84 (8.71) | .005 | .001 | --- |
| Modal Housing Situation, past 60 days | --- | .017 | .035 | ||||
| Traditional housing | 20 | 22 | 18 | 19 | |||
| Shelter or institution | 68 | 65 | 78 | 68 | |||
| Limited shelter | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Streets | 8 | 9 | 3 | 11 | |||
| Number of showers/baths, past 30 days | 27.18 (6.49) | 27.37 (6.35) | 27.68 (6.25) | 25.99 (7.10) | .070 | --- | .093 |
| Age at Time of Interview | .018 | .001 | --- | ||||
| Ages 15–19 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 4 | |||
| Ages 20–29 | 25 | 20 | 42 | 31 | |||
| Ages 30–39 | 48 | 51 | 38 | 46 | |||
| Ages 40–44 | 24 | 27 | 14 | 19 | |||
| Currently married/partnered | 22 | 20 | 30 | 24 | --- | .016 | --- |
| Years of education | 11.69 (2.24) | 11.94 (1.93) | 10.36 (2.84) | 11.96 (2.31) | --- | .001 | .001 |
| Working full- or part-time during past month | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | --- | --- | --- |
| Ever spent time in jail/prison | 53 | 53 | 34 | 47 | --- | .001 | .022 |
| Frequency of social contact | 3.03 (1.77) | 3.06 (1.80) | 3.03 (1.70) | 2.94 (1.76) | --- | --- | --- |
| Number of close friends/relatives in LA | 5.18 (8.46) | 5.59 (9.26) | 4.84 (7.47) | 3.89 (5.55) | .099 | --- | --- |
| Assault History | |||||||
| Physical assault before age 18 | 40 | 37 | 36 | 57 | .001 | --- | .001 |
| Sexual assault before age 18 | 30 | 27 | 22 | 50 | .001 | --- | .001 |
| Physical assault during last 12 months | 32 | 29 | 30 | 43 | .002 | --- | .024 |
| Sexual assault during last 12 months | 13 | 12 | 14 | 17 | --- | --- | --- |
| Substance Abuse and Mental Health | |||||||
| History of alcohol abuse, lifetime | 40 | 43 | 28 | 41 | --- | .002 | .029 |
| History of drug abuse, lifetime | 46 | 48 | 31 | 54 | --- | .001 | .001 |
| History of psychiatric hospitalization, lifetime | 23 | 23 | 18 | 29 | --- | --- | .041 |
| Women (n) | 821 | 548 | 131 | 142 | |||
Note: P-values from ANOVA or chi-square tests of differences between African-Americans (AA), Hispanics (H), and Whites (W)