Citation

Nydegger LA, Benton EN, Hemingway B, Fung S, Yuan M, Phung C, Claborn KR. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023; 20(24).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph20247177

PMID

38131728

PMCID

PMC10742514

Abstract

Austin, Texas emerged as one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. over the past decade. Urban transformation has exacerbated inequities and reduced ethnic/racial diversity among communities. This qualitative study focused on housing insecurity and other syndemic factors among Black and Latina cisgender women (BLCW). Data collection from 18 BLCW using in-depth interviews guided by syndemic theory was conducted three times over three months between 2018 and 2019. Four housing insecurity categories emerged: (a) very unstable, (b) unstable, (c) stable substandard, and (d) stable costly. Participants who experienced more stable housing, particularly more stable housing across interviews, reported fewer instances of intimate partner violence (IPV), less substance use, and a reduced risk of acquiring HIV.

RESULTS identified the importance of exploring housing insecurity with other syndemic factors among BLCW along with determining structural- and multi-level interventions to improve housing circumstances and other syndemic factors. Future research should explore these factors in other geographic locations, among other intersectional communities, and among larger sample sizes and consider using a mixed methods approach.

Language: en

Keywords

qualitative research; substance use; intimate partner violence; Black/African American cisgender women; HIV risk; housing insecurity; Latina cisgender women