UC San Diego

Adults who are homeless experience high rates of health conditions and psychological distress, including low IQ and functional status. Resources are available to help these individuals, but provision of support is often contingent upon the identification of a known disability. In this context, we examined case managers' (CMs') subjective estimates of IQ and functional status in 77 adult residents of an urban homeless shelter. Participants completed objective measures of IQ and functional capacity. CMs overestimated IQs of lower IQ (IQ < 90) participants, correctly estimated IQs of average IQ (IQ = 90-110) participants, and underestimated IQs of higher IQ (IQ > 110) participants. CMs correctly identified 2 out of 8 participants meeting criteria for intellectual disability and 4 out of 16 participants with impaired functional status. These findings suggest that subjective evaluations of IQ and functional status are prone to a central tendency bias, leading CMs to overlook clients who are in need of assistance. Consequently, the objective measurement of IQ and functional status in homeless shelters is highly recommended. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).