Will the Public's Health Fall Victim to the Home Foreclosure Epidemic?

Abstract

Gary Bennett and colleagues discuss the ways in which the dramatic rise in home foreclosures, particularly in the US, may have health consequences. Summary Points: (1) While policy makers worldwide have scrambled to counter its economic effects, the potential health implications of home foreclosure have received little empirical attention. (2) Home foreclosure can be viewed as a stressful life event of prolonged duration, with multiple phases of variable intensity. (3) Although no studies to date have reported the specific health effects of home foreclosure, we posit that foreclosure may be associated with a range of psychological and health behavior outcomes that, in turn, might increase chronic disease risk. (4) Susceptibility to home foreclosure might involve both compositional and contextual dimensions. (5) Delinquency management policies designed to prevent foreclosures from occurring are arguably best suited to protect the health of those at greatest risk.