Date Presented 03/28/20
This quasiexperimental study determined whether four homeless male veterans who partook in life-skills classes in a transitional housing program reported increased satisfaction and improved life skills according to the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Results of paired t-tests indicated no statistically significant change; however, all participants reported a self-perceived change of two or more points, which is clinically significant and could inform future programs and OT practice.
Primary Author and Speaker: David LeVan
Contributing Authors: Allison Blatt, Colleen Cummings, Morgan Demyanovich, Emily Tomer, Jennifer Weightman
BACKGROUND: Homelessness is a substantial problem in society that not only concerns the individual, but the entire community. Specifically, homelessness is increasingly reported on national news as a growing problem, particularly in larger cities, affecting social, economic, health, and wellness factors for the entire population. Nearly 38,000 veterans were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2018, of whom 62 percent were staying in emergency shelters or transitional housing programs (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2018). The homeless represent a vulnerable population who experience greater hardship in accessing needed services and participating in desired occupations (Perl, 2015; Weber, Lee & Martsolf, 2017).
PURPOSE: The purpose of this master thesis project was to determine if four homeless male veterans who partook in life skills classes in a transitional housing program experienced increased satisfaction and improved life skills according to the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Transitional housing programs provide people experiencing homelessness a place to stay combined with supportive services for up to 24 months (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2018). Our study was conducted at the Liberty House which is the only transitional housing program in the Erie, PA region for homeless veterans 18 years and older. The Liberty House provides a 12 week life skills class that addresses topics including employment, housing, transportation, sufficiency, finances, relationships, sobriety, criminal justice concerns, forgiveness, humility, gratitude, and discretion.
DESIGN/METHODS: Our study used a pre-and post-test quasi-experimental design with a convenience sample of four male veterans who resided at the Liberty House in Erie, PA. In order to live at the Liberty House, the male must be 18 years or older, have served in the United States Armed Forces and be honorably discharged. All participants were required to speak English. The participants’ ages were 49, 50, 51, and 63. Each participant completed a COPM interview before and after the 12 week life skills class. Interviews were completed in separate rooms of the Liberty House because this was preferred by the participants.
RESULTS: The COPM performance and satisfaction scores were analyzed using a paired samples t-test. The p value for pre-performance/post performance was .502 and the p value for pre-satisfaction/post-satisfaction was .362. The paired samples t-test indicated both pairs had a p value greater than 0.05 and was not statistically significant. Despite the lack of statistical significance, all participants reported a self-perceived change of two or more points which is clinically significant. In terms of clinically significant change, two participants reported a decrease in performance scores while two participants reported an increase in satisfaction.
CONCLUSION/IMPACT: Although the statistical significance of our study was challenging and had limitations such as sample size, the clinically significant self-perceived changes in COPM could inform future programming and OT practice. Our learning experience during and after this master thesis project will allow us to share how the veterans’ reported areas of concern were consistent and different from previous literature, considerations for future topics in a life skills class, and recommendations for administration of the COPM in this setting.
References
Law, M. C., Baptiste, S., Carswell, A., McColl, M. A., Polatajko, H. J., & Pollock, N. (2015). Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Ottawa, Ontario: CAOT Publications ACE.
Perl, L. (2015). Veterans and homelessness. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=2485&context=key_workplace
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development. (2018). The 2018 annual homeless assessment report (AHAR) to congress. Retrieved from https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2018-AHAR-Part-1.pdf
Weber, J., Lee, R.C. & Martsolf, D. (2017). Understanding the health of veterans who are homeless: A review of the literature. Public Health Nursing, 34, 505-511. doi: 10.1111/phn.12338
