Social work outreach to homeless people and the need to address issues of self-esteem

This article assesses self-esteem in a sample of homeless people from a major urban area. The findings indicate bivariate associations between low self-esteem and depression, family relationships, goal attainment, disability, health, and food deprivation. Multivariate analysis suggests that depression and poor health are the two most significant variables that contribute to low self-esteem. Social work outreach can provide services to positively influence homeless peoples' lives. First, however, it is important to facilitate proper psychosocial and psychiatric assessment, to make a diagnosis, and to provide on-site treatment.