The Characteristics and Mental Health of Homeless Adolescents

Abstract

A large and heterogeneous sample of 364 homeless adolescents was interviewed about residential and family histories, as well as about their experiences while homeless.They were also administered a diagnostic interview and various self-report measures of emotional and behavioral functioning. Analyses were conducted to provide a better description of these youth, with a special focus on gender and age heterogeneity. Results of analyses suggested that homeless youth came from generally troubled backgrounds and had elevated rates of psychiatric disorders. For boys, their histories typically included physical abuse during childhood, physical assault on the street, and elevated rates of externalizing disorders. For girls, histories were more often marked by sexual abuse during childhood, sexual victimization on the streets, and elevated rates of internalizing disorders. Implications of these results for service delivery are discussed.

Interventions With Street Youth: A Commentary on the Practice-Based Research Literature

“…Common among many street youth are backgrounds associated with physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and exposure to delinquent activities such as substance use, prostitution, and petty crime (Cauce et al, 2000;Karabanow, 2003;Kurtz et al, 1991;McCarthy & Hagan, 1992;Tyler & Cauce, 2002). Such backgrounds may contribute to street youth's exhibiting high rates of depression (Unger et al, 1997), drug and alcohol abuse (Booth, Zhang, & Zwiatkowski, 1999;Yates, MacKenzie, Pennbridge, & Cohen, 1988), and sexual, emotional, and behavioral problems (Cauce et al, 2000).…”

“…Street youth are a diverse group, consisting of individuals with unique backgrounds and characteristics, including culture, age, sexual orientation, and family situations (Karabanow, 2003;Kurtz, Jarvis, & Kurtz, 1991;Robertson & Toro, 1991;Unger, Kipke, Simon, Montgomery, & Johnson, 1997;Zide & Cherry, 1992). Common among many street youth are backgrounds associated with physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and exposure to delinquent activities such as substance use, prostitution, and petty crime (Cauce et al, 2000;Karabanow, 2003;Kurtz et al, 1991;McCarthy & Hagan, 1992;Tyler & Cauce, 2002). Such backgrounds may contribute to street youth's exhibiting high rates of depression (Unger et al, 1997), drug and alcohol abuse (Booth, Zhang, & Zwiatkowski, 1999;Yates, MacKenzie, Pennbridge, & Cohen, 1988), and sexual, emotional, and behavioral problems (Cauce et al, 2000).…”

Predictors of posttraumatic stress symptoms among runaway youth utilizing two service sectors

“…Even less is known about a particularly high-risk group of youth-those who have separated from parents at an early age due to running away or being forced out of parental homes. Although symptoms related to traumatic experiences have been found remarkably prevalent among the few studies focusing on PTSD among runaway youth (Cauce et al, 2000;Whitbeck, Hoyt, & Ackley, 1997a), few investigations have focused on the antecedents to trauma symptoms, particularly those that originate with the youths' families. To address this gap, this study investigated family and youth factors associated with developing trauma-related symptomatology among runaway youth.…”

“…The result is heightened adolescent mental health problems, such as youth substance abuse, relationship difficulties, and continued runaway behavior (Kurtz, Jarvis, & Kurtz, 1991). Taken together these findings suggest that the combination of difficult family environmental factors and the act of precocious independence may produce symptoms of acute distress, anxiety reactions, aggression, withdrawal, dissociative reactions, and posttraumatic stress (Cauce et al, 2000;Thompson, 2005).…”

“…The result is heightened adolescent mental health problems, such as youth substance abuse, relationship difficulties, and continued runaway behavior (Kurtz, Jarvis, & Kurtz, 1991). Taken together these findings suggest that the combination of difficult family environmental factors and the act of precocious independence may produce symptoms of acute distress, anxiety reactions, aggression, withdrawal, dissociative reactions, and posttraumatic stress (Cauce et al, 2000;Thompson, 2005).Runaway youth often come into contact with two public service sectors: juvenile detention centers and youth emergency shelters. Detention and shelter facilities have the common characteristic of being short-term, temporary placements for youth and offer a range of basic services aimed at supporting youths' physical, emotional, and social development (National Juvenile Detention Association, 2003).…”