Abstract
Youth who experience homelessness have worse health and well-being than housed youth. Internal assets, including social competency and positive self-identity, are factors that promote healthy development. This study compared internal assets between homeless and housed youth, and examined whether connectedness with parents moderates the association between homelessness and internal assets. Using data from a large population-based survey of middle- and high-school aged youth, we found that homelessness was associated with lower levels of internal assets. However, having high connectedness with a parent significantly predicted the strength of these assets, suggesting opportunities to promote health equity among homeless youth.
Highlights
2.5 million children are homeless in the United States (U.S.), representing 1 in 30 U.S.children [1]
A history of homelessness in the last year was significantly more prevalent among non-white and Hispanic students, males, ninth grade students, those who reported receiving free/reduced price lunch or attending school in a non-metro area, and students living in a family structure other than a two-parent household (Table 1)
Homelessness was prevalent more prevalent thethe national estimate of about was more amongamong non-white non-white and Hispanic students, males, ninth grade students, those with access to free lunch, those and Hispanic students, males, ninth grade students, those with access to free lunch, those living living in non-metro areas and students living in a family structure other than a two parent in non-metro areas and students living in a family structure other than a two parent household
Summary
2.5 million children are homeless in the United States (U.S.), representing 1 in 30 U.S.children [1]. Homeless youth experience higher rates of health problems than their non-homeless peers [7]. The stress that often accompanies homelessness can change the brain’s architecture and function, interfering with learning, cognition, social skills, executive functioning, and emotional self-regulation [1,11,12]. This goes beyond the effects of poverty, with homeless youth experiencing greater risk than impoverished-but-housed youth [2,4,13]. There is great variability in outcomes among homeless youth, demonstrating important capacity for positive adaptation, known as resilience [1,2,14,15]
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