An Exploration of Behavioral Health Workers’ Attitudes Toward Treating People Without Homes
Year: 2014
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This online study explored the nature of behavioral health worker's attitudes toward treating people without homes (BHATH) with a sample comprised of 252 behavioral health workers residing in the United States.BHATH were examined through a system justification theory framework (Jost & Hunyady, 2002).Accordingly, the project examined the relationships among universal diverse orientation (UDO), intergroup contact with the homeless (IC), social dominance orientation (SDO), general belief in a just world (GBJW), general belief in an unjust world (GBUW), and BHATH.In addition, the project examined the moderating role of SDO, GBJW, and GBUW in the connections between UDO and IC and BHATH.In post-hoc analyses, the mediating role of SDO in the links between UDO and IC and BHATH was assessed.In support of system justification theory, UDO and IC were positively correlated with BHATH.Furthermore, SDO and GBJW were negatively related with BHATH, and GBUW was positively related with BHATH.UDO was also evidenced to be positively associated with GBUW and negatively related with SDO and GBJW.IC was positively related with SDO and GBJW and was unrelated with GBUW.In contrast to system justification theory, SDO, GBJW, and GBUW were not observed to strengthen the relationships between UDO and IC and BHATH.Finally, SDO was found to partially mediate the links between UDO and IC and BHATH.iv CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Homelessness appeared as a crucial topic in the United States (U.S.) in the 1980s when the nation experienced a dramatic upsurge in the number of people without homes (Kingree & Daves, 1997;Toro, 2007).Over the past 30 years, experts have maintained that the U.S. has made little progress in reducing rates of homelessness due to reliance on circuitous and ineffective interventions, as efforts have typically involved treating homeless individuals rather than addressing sociopolitical dysfunction (APA, 2009;
Author: Russell E. Spieth
Institution: University of Akron
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2614026833