Social support, psychiatric symptoms, and housing: A causal analysis

This study used structural equation modeling to examine the causal relationship between social support and each of three outcome variables: depression, psychotic symptoms, and stable housing. Two measures of social support were included in the models: natural support (family and friends) and professional support. Nearly 4,000 individuals from 18 cities in the United States provided data for this study. All participants were homeless at baseline and suffered from severe mental illness. Data were collected at baseline, 3 months, and 1 year. A reciprocal effects model best explained the causal relationship between social support and psychiatric symptoms. The social causation model best explained the relationship between social support and stable housing, such that increases in social support led to increases in stable housing.