The Health Practices of Homeless Women: A Causal Model

A theoretical model was developed and tested to explain the effects of learned helplessness, self-esteem, and depression on the health practices of homeless women. Data were collected from a sample of 122 homeless women recruited from six shelters. Structural equation analysis was used to evaluate the model. Analysis revealed a goodness-of-fit index of 98, indicating a good fit of the model with the data. Overall, the variables in the model accounted for 14% to 21% of the variance in the health practices of homeless women.