摘要：Objectives. We examined the empirical link between money mismanagement and subsequent homelessness among veterans. Methods. We used a random sample of Iraq and Afghanistan War era veterans from the National Post-Deployment Adjustment Survey in 2009–2011. Results. Veterans were randomly selected from a roster of all US military service members in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom who were separated from active duty or in the Reserves/National Guard. Veterans (n = 1090) from 50 states and all military branches completed 2 waves of data collection 1 year apart (79% retention rate). Thirty percent reported money mismanagement (e.g., bouncing or forging a check, going over one’s credit limit, falling victim to a money scam in the past year). Multivariate analysis revealed money mismanagement (odds ratio [OR] = 4.09, 95% CI = 1.87, 8.94) was associated with homelessness in the next year, as were arrest history (OR = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.33, 5.29), mental health diagnosis (OR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.26, 5.33), and income (OR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.13, 0.71). Conclusions. Money mismanagement, reported by a substantial number of veterans, was related to a higher rate of subsequent homelessness. The findings have implications for policymakers and clinicians, suggesting that financial education programs offered by the US Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs may be targeted to effectively address veteran homelessness. Explaining the disproportionate number of veterans in the homeless population is a challenge that has stymied policymakers. 1–6 Estimates have varied but have indicated that veterans constitute as much as 32% of the homeless population in the United States, 3,5,7,8 though recent data have indicated that veterans make up approximately 16% of homeless adults at a given point in time. 9 Because they make up about 10% of the general US population, veterans appear to be overrepresented in the homeless population. 10 This revelation is not new, and for the past 20 years researchers have tried to pinpoint reasons for the high levels of veteran homelessness. 4 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 11–13 depression, 3,5 bipolar disorder, 8,14 alcohol and drug abuse, 3,5,15,16 younger age, 9 and contact with the criminal justice system 5,8,17,18 have each been identified as risk factors for homelessness among veterans. With all these possible explanations, an occasionally overlooked potential contributor to veterans’ homelessness is achieving financial stability after military service. In this regard, veterans face an array of barriers, including lack of stable employment, inability to budget and make ends meet, limited financial knowledge, poor judgment in making financial decisions, and lack of material security. These financial factors can exist independent of mental health diagnoses and other risk factors previously mentioned, outlining the need to investigate the effects of these financial factors on homelessness. Recent reports have shown that military experience can uniquely affect financial well-being. 5,19–21 Psychological and physical war injuries can reduce a veteran’s employability. 19,20 Many military personnel require retraining to learn skills appropriate for civilian work. 20 Service members who live on base and have their basic needs met may not have the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to being financially independent and manage money, skills that their counterparts in the civilian sector had to master at an earlier age. 21 Active-duty service members have been found to be 3 times more likely than civilians to take out payday loans. 5,21 Predatory lenders are known to target military members and veterans. More payday lending businesses are located in zip codes near military bases than anywhere else in the country. 5 All of this is added to the adverse effects that multiple deployments can have on financial security, disrupting family stability or leading to job loss. 5,19 Therefore, to successfully readjust after military service, veterans need to attain a sufficient level of financial literacy, defined as possessing a working knowledge of financial concepts and tools to make effective decisions regarding management of money. 22 The National Financial Capability Study, 21 however, recently conducted in collaboration with the US Department of the Treasury and the President’s Commission on Financial Literacy, pinpointed that money mismanagement was a significant problem for military service members. Despite service members’ saving money at the same rate as civilians, they remain less likely than civilians to meet their basic needs and more likely to have significant credit card debt. Enlisted personnel and junior noncommissioned officers also exhibited greater problems in planning for financial emergencies. Credit card mismanagement was also noted to be a problem for military families in particular, leading to heavy debt, fees, and interest accumulation. Thousands of veterans are returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. To our knowledge, few empirical efforts have been directed at examining whether veteran homelessness may be related to how veterans manage their finances. We examined longitudinal data from a national survey of Iraq and Afghanistan era veterans to determine to what extent, if any, money mismanagement is associated with subsequent homelessness.
