Housing Model for Persons with Serious Mental Illness Moderates the Relation Between Loneliness and Quality of Life

This study compared levels of loneliness, quality of life (QOL) and social support among people with serious mental illness (SMI) living in two different types of housing: group homes and supportive community housing. Forty persons with SMI living in supportive community housing and 57 living in a group home completed measures of QOL, symptoms, perceived social support and loneliness. Analysis of variance tests were conducted to examine whether there were differences in degree of loneliness, QOL and social support between the groups living in the two residential types. No significant differences between the two housing models were found. Correlational analysis, however, indicated a strong relationship between loneliness and QOL. Subsequent regression analysis revealed that residence in group homes moderates the relationship between social loneliness and QOL, such that social loneliness impacted QOL only among group home residence. Implications of the findings for understanding the impact of housing on QOL are discussed.