NCJ Number
222288
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 37 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2008 Pages: 465-474
Date Published
April 2008
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study identified predictors of change in homelessness among 180 homeless youth between the ages of 14 and 22, who were recruited for the study through an urban drop-in center.
Abstract
This study identified four patterns of change in homelessness among these youth. One group of youth had fairly low rates of homelessness at each monitoring point (baseline, 3 months, and 6 months). A second group was in the mid-range of homelessness at baseline, had increased periods of homelessness at 3 months, and then a sharp decline in homelessness at 6 months. A third group reported high rates of homelessness at baseline and low rates at each monitoring point thereafter. The fourth group remained consistently homeless across the 6-month study period. These patterns of homelessness were most strongly predicted by the levels of social connections (contact with and support from their families and foster caregivers) and engagement in risk behaviors associated with HIV infection. The measured risk behaviors for HIV were IV drug use; multiple sex partners; high-risk sex partners; irregular condom use; anal sex; sex in exchange for drugs, food, and/or cash; and ever having had a sexually transmitted disease. Selection criteria required that the youth were between the ages of 14 and 22, had been living in the area for at least 3 months and with plans to remain for at least 6 months, met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol or other psychoactive substance use disorders, and met criteria for homelessness. The questionnaire administered to the youth measured demographic characteristics, health-risk behaviors, quantity and frequency of drug and alcohol use, and coping strategies in stressful situations. 3 tables and 41 references