[Quality of life, social deprivation and mental disorders--is there an association in populations at risk?].

OBJECTIVE

The study aims at assessing the psychiatric morbidity and the quality of life of persons at immediate risk for getting homeless as well as identifying risk factors and correlations between quality of life, threatening homelessness and mental disorders.

METHODS

The sample included 101 citizens of Mannheim, Germany, which were immediately threatened to be thrown out of their apartment due to not paying their rent or other causes. In a cross-sectional study, mental disorders were diagnosed by SKID-interview, quality of life was determined by using the Münchener Lebensqualitäts-Dimensionen Liste (MLDL). Other factors of potential influence were assessed. Multiple regression analyses were conducted.

RESULTS

Acute mental disorders requiring treatment were determined in 79,3 % of the study sample. Addiction disorders (alcoholism) played a major role. This psychiatric morbidity was even higher in some disorders than in a sample of homeless people from the same region. Quality of life was low and also showed a similar pattern to the homeless sample. Regression analyses confirmed a high association of mental disorders and quality of life, which was adversely affected by former episodes of homelessness, the length of instable social conditions and a lack of social support.

CONCLUSIONS

Specific psychiatric services or programs for the population at risk were not available, although their help seeking behaviour offers good opportunities for taking primary or secondary preventive action, which is likely to reduce the subjective burden on quality of life and lower the payments provided by local welfare agencies.