Search

Background: Despite high rates of substance use among homeless youths, little is known about the interaction of substance-use risk and protective factors. Further, limited research exists on substance use by school-attending homeless youths, as extant studies have relied on street- and shelter-based samples. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine how risk and protective factors influence school-attending homeless youths' substance use as well as how protective influences can mediate and moderate the impact of risk factors on substance use. Empirical precedents on adolescent substance use and social capital theory were used to construct a theoretical model. Methods: Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships among risk and protective factors associated with substance use. The theoretical model was tested with a representative sample of 2,146 high-school-attending homeless youths from the 2007-2008 California Healthy Kids Survey dataset. Three hypotheses were tested to examine the direct effects of gang involvement, partner abuse, truancy and adult support on substance use as well as both the mediating and moderating effects of adult support. Results: Greater substance use was associated with gang membership, partner abuse and truancy. Lower levels of substance use were associated with higher levels of adult support. Additionally, adult support acted as both a mediator and moderator between the hypothesized risk factors and substance use. Conclusions: Findings highlight the mediating and moderating effects of adult support on substance-use risk factors. Future longitudinal research is needed to illuminate the causal pathways between substance-use risk factors, adult support, and actual use.

Young adults experiencing homelessness (YAEH) face discrimination experiences placing them at risk for negative health outcomes. Prior research demonstrates discrimination and perceived stress among YAEH, yet few studies examine the protective role of online health information-seeking (OHIS) behaviors for YAEH. This study investigated the relationship among OHIS, discrimination, and perceived stress in YAEH (N = 1,426). Descriptive analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were conducted. Results indicate that discrimination was significantly related to perceived stress. OHIS moderated the relationship between discrimination and perceived stress. Findings suggest that providing digital access and creating online informational resources are important engagement strategies for YAEH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opportunity youth, 16- to 24-year-olds who are neither in school nor working, are a population that is difficult to engage and retain in services. Population-level data and local data from coalitions play a critical role in helping human service organizations effectively plan, deliver and evaluate their programs. This case study of the Opportunities for Youth Coalition illustrates how a network of youth-serving organizations have been coordinating their service planning, delivery and evaluation since 2016 using annual data from both the American Community Survey (ACS) and local coalition as well as a collective impact approach. The authors propose strategies for administrators to replicate these data-driven, service-delivery approaches in other geographic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore homeless young adults' perceptions of the systemic, situational, and intrapersonal barriers they encounter across multiple systems in trying to exit homelessness and the ways these barriers are interrelated. Thirty-one homeless young adults (ages 18–26) in Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona were recruited for in-depth interviews from two resource centers serving homeless youth. Template analysis was used to systematically analyze and code participants' verbatim transcripts from the interviews into a template (codebook). Characteristic quotes from the interviews are used to illustrate the emergent themes. Findings indicate that structural barriers faced by homeless youth include inadequate homeless resources, employment challenges, discrimination by law enforcement, hot climate, lack of transportation, and legal concerns. Situational barriers include interpersonal relationships, the street environment, and lack of personal resources. Intrapersonal barriers include behavioral, mental, and physical health challenges, reluctance to reach out for help, money management, and lack of desire for stable housing. Participants also outlined multiple ways in which these barriers interact to hinder their exiting homelessness. Findings support current literature applying ecological theory to the issue of homelessness while highlighting young people's own contextual descriptions of their lived experiences. Three approaches are recommended for improving homeless services with integrated housing, employment, and clinical interventions to help young adults successfully exit homeless. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]