Does supported housing protect recent immigrants from psychological distress?

Psychological distress measured by the Talbieh Brief Distress inventory was compared between two groups of immigrants: consumers of supported housing (N = 302) and non-consumers living in community settings (N = 419), matched by sex, age and education level. Overall, distress level was found to be significantly lower in consumers of supported housing than in non-consumers. Consumers also exhibited significant lower hostility, obsessive-compulsive and paranoid ideation symptoms, but they were similar to nonconsumers on level of depression, anxiety and sensitivity. The results suggest that supported housing protects recent immigrants from environmental stresses to a greater extent than community residence.