Substance Use of Homeless and Precariously Housed Youth in a Canadian Context

Abstract

Substance use is common among homeless and precariously housed youth, yet few longitudinal studies track their usage over time. This paper analyzes data from a study of 187 youth and reports on their substance usage in the preceding month, year, and over their lifetime. The results are compared within the sample by sex and against a sample of similarly located housed youth. Findings suggest that female homeless and precariously housed youth report lower substance use, but that with interventions substance use decreases for both sexes. Compared to housed youth, those who are homeless and precariously housed begin substance use at a significantly younger age.

COVID-19: Mental health consequences and strategies put in place to overcome them from the perspective of young adults experiencing social precarity and substance use in Montreal.

“…Additionally, research has shown that the mental health consequences of COVID-19 led to greater feelings of distress among young adults who already experienced mental health issues prior to the pandemic, including mood and anxiety disorders, and substance use (Panchal et al, 2021Alonzi et al 2020WHO 2020;Drogo et al 2021). As mental health and substance use issues are highly prevalent among young adults who experience social precarity, our results are coherent with literature in that mental health consequences of the pandemic appear to be more severe in this population (Csiernik et al 2017;Cheng et al 2014).…”

“…Namely, young adults who experience social precarity, defined as a combination of residential, employment and health-related insecurities, are particularly at risk of suffering from psychoactive substance (PS) use and mental health issues. Indeed, a greater proportion of young adults experiencing social precarity, compared to those of the general population, report using PS, including illicit drugs, alcohol and prescription medications (Csiernik et al 2017;Cheng et al 2014). The former are also more likely to develop problematic PS use (Goering et al 2022;Bender et al 2015), which is characterized by the use of PS despite the experience of negative consequences (WHO 2003).…”

Problem Drinking, Alcohol-Related Violence, and Homelessness among Youth Living in the Slums of Kampala, Uganda

“…Homeless youth, defined as those sleeping strictly on the streets and not in a shelter, face compounding risks associated with social exclusion [ 42 , 43 , 44 ], access to alcohol [ 45 ], and lack of access to social justice resources [ 46 ]. Homeless youth have also been found to report higher levels of psychological distress and mental health problems, experience more significant emotional and physical traumas, struggle more to maintain supportive networks, and have higher rates of substance use and abuse than youth who live with their families or live in shelters [ 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ]. However, scientific understanding of how these factors are related in the lives of homeless youth remains limited.…”

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“…Respondenti také deklarovali potřebu pravidelného proškolení v problematice látkových a nelátkových závislostí. Děti a mladí dospělí v dětských domovech jsou ohroženi rizikem zneužívání návykových látek, které je také závažným problémem mladých dospělých opouštějících institucionální prostředí (Csiernik et al, 2017). Nabídka nelegálních drog se na trhu neustále mění a neinformovaný vychovatel může snadno přehlédnout známky blížícího se adiktologického problému.…”