Sociodemographic and mental health characteristics of the men experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2022, Osaka, Japan)

This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on mental health of the homeless in Japan by evaluating depressive and anxiety symptoms and identifying the associated factors (e.g., sociodemographic variables as age, employment status and the fear and perceived risk of COVID-19 infection). A cross-sectional interview survey among 158 PEH in Osaka Prefecture was conducted from April to May 2022. The survey included sociodemographic questions and history and perceived risk of infection with COVID-19. Depressive symptoms were measured using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and anxiety symptoms using the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and the fear of COVID-19 using the seven-item Fear of New Coronavirus Scale (FCV-19S). In this study, the prevalence of depression (PHQ-9≥10) was 38.6%, anxiety disorder (GAD≥10) at 19.0%, and high fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S≥19) at 28.5%. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that people experiencing homelessness in younger age groups (18–34 years), and the state of joblessness, higher perceived infection risk, and higher fear of COVID-19 were more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety (p<0.05).