Lack of human capital, social alienation, psychiatric pathology, and exposure to stressful life events have all been offered as theoretical explanations for chronic homelessness. In this study, a multiple regression equation that included variables from all four theoretical orientations did significantly predict the length of time homeless. However, only a small percentage of the total variance of chronic homelessness could be explained by these individual-difference variables. Additional research is needed to determine if societal-level variables are more powerful predictors of chronic homelessness.
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