Personality disorders and related healthcare use among older United States veterans experiencing housing instability and homelessness, 2016-2024.

Authors

Hind A Beydoun, May A Beydoun, Amanda Edwards-Stewart, Jack Tsai

Published in

GeroScience. Jul 16, 2026. Epub Jul 16, 2026.

Abstract

Veterans are vulnerable to housing instability and/or homelessness (HUH) and may encounter unique challenges that affect their healthcare. While research has noted connections between major psychiatric disorders and HUH, few studies have examined personality disorders (PD) and their sex-specific relationships with HUH and healthcare use among aging veterans. We examined sex differences in the epidemiology of PD and their impact on healthcare service use among aging HUH veterans. A cross-sectional study involving 6,042,426 veterans (5,722,344 males and 320,082 females) was conducted using linked U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System and Corporate Data Warehouse among veterans ≥ 50 years who sought VA healthcare services over a twelve-month period between 2016 and 2024. Regression modeling was applied to identify predictors of PD and healthcare service use. PD prevalence was estimated at 0.46% (1.65% among females, and 0.39% among males). PD-diagnosed veterans experienced HUH more frequently than their counterparts, and this association was stronger in male vs. female veterans. Age < 65y, non-Black race, unmarried status, military sexual trauma, and self-directed violence were associated with PD among HUH-experienced veterans. Among HUH-experienced veterans, those with vs. without PD had greater odds of using healthcare services, with higher average number of healthcare encounters, especially among females for primary care, and among males for acute care. Although more frequently diagnosed among female veterans, PD were more strongly related to HUH among male veterans. Sex-specific patterns of healthcare use emerged according to PD among aging HUH-experienced veterans.

PMID:
42461497
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Jul 2026.

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