Eviction, post-traumatic stress, and emergency department use among low-income individuals in New Haven, CT

Authors

Patrick D. Smith, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Department of Community Health and PreventionFollow
Allison K. Groves, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Department of Community Health and PreventionFollow
Brent A. Langellier, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Department of Health Management and PolicyFollow
Danya E. Keene, Yale University School of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral SciencesFollow
Alana Rosenburg, Yale University School of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Kim M. Blankenship, American University, Department of SociologyFollow

Abstract

We sought to examine whether and how landlord-related forced moves (inclusive of, but not limited to, legal eviction) were associated with emergency department (ED) use over time. We used survey data collected between 2017 and 2019 among 283 low-income participants in New Haven, CT to examine whether experiencing a legal eviction or other landlord-related forced move (T0) was associated with increased odds of ED use 6 months (T1) and 12 months (T2) later. We conducted bootstrapped mediation analyses to examine indirect effects of post-traumatic stress symptoms. One-fifth of participants (n = 61) reported a recent forced move at baseline (T0); half of these were legally evicted. Landlord-related forced moves were associated with ED use at T1 (AOR = 2.06, 95 % CI: 1.04-4.06) and T2 (AOR = 3.05, 95 % CI: 1.59-5.88). After adjustment for sociodemographic factors and other health-related confounders, legal eviction was not significantly associated with ED use at T1 (AOR = 1.61, 95 % CI: 0.68-3.81), but was significantly associated with ED use at T2 (AOR = 3.58, 95 % CI: 1.58-8.10). Post-traumatic stress symptoms accounted for 15.1% of forced moves' association with ED use (p

Publication Status

Published

Category Tags

Economy, Labor, and Income; Healthcare; Housing; Mental Health and Wellness

Recommended Citation

Patrick D. Smith, Allison K. Groves, Brent A. Langellier, Danya E. Keene, Alana Rosenberg, Kim M. Blankenship, Eviction, post-traumatic stress, and emergency department use among low-income individuals in New Haven, CT, Preventive Medicine Reports, Volume 29, 2022, 101956, ISSN 2211-3355, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101956.