Options
The effectiveness of the women co-living project on the positive psychological outcomes in homeless individuals
Date Issued
2025
Citation
Choy, R., Wu, A., Ng, D. S. H., & Lam, B. Y. H. (26 Jun 2025). The effectiveness of the women co-living project on the positive psychological outcomes in homeless individuals. Positive Psychology 2.0 International Conference 2025 (PP 2.0 2025), Tung Wah College, Hong Kong.
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
Background and aim: Prior research has focused on the relationship between mental health and housing difficulties among the homeless individuals. This study aimed to examine the
effectiveness of the women co-living project (a project delivered by ImpactHK to provide
holistic and housing support to homeless individuals) on the psychological outcomes in homeless individuals. Method: The study sample comprised 14 homeless individuals (males: 0, females: 14), aged 48-76 (mean age 65.36), recruited from ImpactHK (non-government organisations). The explanatory variables were measured individually through questionnaires. The questionnaire was done every half of the year: Self-compassion Scale, Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), and Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire. Results: Results showed that homeless individuals had lower levels of stress and anxiety, aggression and schizotypal symptoms at the 6-month follow-up when compared with the baseline (p< 0.05). Furthermore, the self-compassion scores in the baseline (M = 31.90) were significantly lower than the self-compassion scores at the 6-month follow-up (M = 36.18, t(10) = -2.87, p < .05). Conclusion: The study indicates the promising effect of the women co-living project by showing the enhancement in mental health such as self-compassion among homeless individuals, underscoring the importance of holistic services provided to support the homeless community, and emphasizing the difficulties for homeless individuals to recover without strong social support.
Availability at HKSYU Library
