Stressors and coping strategies of homeless men

1 Major stressors commonly encountered by homeless men are violence to self, theft of belongings, inability to meet basic needs, inconsistent enforcement of rules by shelter staff, and other people's dehumanization or humiliation caused by behavior toward the men. 2 Cognitive, sociocultural, and spiritual coping strategies were frequently used and found to be effective in coping with stressors by homeless men who were either in crisis or alcohol/drug dependent. 3 Severely and persistently mentally ill men had lower mean scores for both use and effectiveness of coping strategies in physical, cognitive, psychological, sociocultural, and spiritual strategies. 4 The longer the duration of homelessness, the lower the mean scores for frequency and effectiveness of use of coping strategies in any of the dimensions.