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This study examined gender differences among homeless young adults' engagement in illegal economic activity (i.e., panhandling, selling drugs, survival sex, gambling, theft). A purposive sample of 601 homeless young adults (ages 18–24) was recruited from three U.S. cities (Los Angeles, CA [ n = 200], Austin, TX [ n = 200], and Denver, CO [ n = 201]) to participate in semi-structured interviews. General strain theory was used to identify predictors of illegal economic activity, including strains (childhood abuse, street victimization, length of homelessness, transience) and responses to strain (deviant peer associations, substance use, post-traumatic stress disorder, arrest history). The full hypothesized path models for males and females separately were tested using observed-variable path analysis. Among females, a greater variety of illegal income sources was reported by those who had experienced greater street victimization and who had used a greater number of substances in the past year. Among males, a greater variety of illegal income sources was reported by those who had more deviant peer associations, experienced greater street victimization, and used a greater number of substances in the past year. Findings have implications for research and preventive interventions to address engagement in illegal economic activity among male and female homeless young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined gender differences among homeless young adults' coping strategies and homelessness stressors as they relate to legal (e.g., full-time employment, selling personal possessions, selling blood/plasma) and illegal economic activity (e.g., selling drugs, theft, prostitution). A sample of 601 homeless young adults was recruited from 3 cities (Los Angeles, CA [ n = 200], Austin, TX [ n = 200], and Denver, CO [ n = 201]) to participate in semi-structured interviews from March 2010 to July 2011. Risk and resilience correlates of legal and illegal economic activity were analyzed using six Ordinary Least Squares regression models with the full sample and with the female and male sub-samples. In the full sample, three variables (i.e., avoidant coping , problem-focused coping , and mania ) were associated with legal income generation whereas eight variables (i.e., social coping, age, arrest history, transience, peer substance use, antisocial personality disorder [ASPD], substance use disorder [SUD], and major depressive episode [MDE] ) were associated with illegal economic activity. In the female sub-sample, three variables (i.e., problem-focused coping , race / ethnicity , and transience ) were correlated with legal income generation whereas six variables (i.e., problem-focused coping , social coping , age , arrest history , peer substance use , and ASPD ) were correlated with illegal economic activity. Among males, the model depicting legal income generation was not significant yet seven variables (i.e., social coping , age , transience , peer substance use , ASPD , SUD , and MDE ) were associated with illegal economic activity. Understanding gender differences in coping strategies and economic activity might help customize interventions aimed at safe and legal income generation for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested a model of the effects of different predictors on individuals' levels of fear of crime in Dallas neighborhoods. Given its dual focus on individual perceptions and community-level interactions, social capital theory was selected as the most appropriate framework to explore fear of crime within the neighborhood milieu. A structural equation model was developed and tested. Several positive influences of social capital on lowering fear were identified, including police presence in the neighborhood, social support networks, neighborhood satisfaction, and collective efficacy. This study suggests that social capital can be mobilized as a public safety, community resource in high-crime neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research documents that street-involved youth experience rates of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that are significantly higher than their housed counterparts. Trauma and PTSD are of particular concern for homeless youth as they can negatively affect youths’ ability to function adaptively and to transition off the streets. This mixed-methods study investigates the intricacies of trauma experienced by homeless youth across three U.S. cities. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of 145 homeless youth in Los Angeles (n = 50), Denver (n = 50), and Austin (n = 45) to explore youths’ perspectives on the definition of trauma and the contexts associated with victimization. Quantitative standardized assessments investigated youths’ trauma experiences before and after becoming homeless. Trauma screening identified high rates of trauma incidents (78%), with 28% of participants meeting criteria for PTSD. Participants reported various traumatic experiences that occurred before leaving home and while on the streets, and high rates of polyvictimization. Qualitative themes describe particular people and places most vulnerable on the streets. Implications for services to prevent and treat trauma among homeless youth are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Examined risk/protective factors for homeless young adults on educational outcomes. • Analyzed homeless young adults with and without a history in foster care. • Used a sample from three different cities in Colorado, California, and Texas. • Lower probability of positive educational outcomes for HYA with an arrest history. • Implications for federal and state postsecondary financial aid programs. Homeless young adults (HYA) with and without a history in foster care in the United States experience lower high school graduation rates than young adults in the general population. Few studies examine the risk and resilience factors that promote positive educational outcomes for these subpopulations. This study explores the factors that are associated with positive educational outcomes for HYA with and without a foster care history. This study uses data from a 3-city cross-sectional study of HYA, which included quantitative interviews of HYA between the ages of 18 and 24 (N = 601) in Austin, TX (n = 200), Los Angeles, CA (n = 200), and Denver, CO (n = 201). Positive educational outcomes consisted of HYAs being currently enrolled in or previously attaining a degree from a secondary, postsecondary or technical education program. This study uses two logistic regression models to identify the risk and resilience factors associated with positive educational outcomes for HYA with and without a history in foster care. For HYA with a history in foster care, city was a significant predictor of positive educational outcomes as well as being an older age, formal employment, not having an arrest record, having a lower score of emotional neglect, and having a higher score of physical abuse. For HYA without a history in foster care, significant predictors included not having an arrest record and having a higher score of emotional abuse. Findings highlight the need for an expansion of federal and state postsecondary education financial aid programs for HYA with and without a history in foster care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]