Objective: To examine street victimization and posttraumatic stress symptoms among urban homeless adolescents and to test whether emotional numbing and avoidance represent distinct posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters. Method: Structured, private interviews were conducted with homeless adolescents (N = 374) in the Seattle…

Assessed ability of three models of adolescent substance abuse--deviance-prone, affect regulation, and normative development models--to predict the substance abuse of a high-risk homeless adolescent sample with high rates of deviance, depression, and substance abuse. Found support for the deviance-prone model, with delinquency but not aggressive…

Risk factors associated with the likelihood of being sexually victimized by a stranger or friend/acquaintance since being on the street was examined among 372 homeless and runaway youth. Young people were interviewed on the streets and in shelters by outreach workers using a systematic sampling strategy. Youth who engaged in more high-risk…

Interviews with 372 homeless and runaway adolescents found one-half reported being physically abused and almost one-third experienced sexual abuse. Females experienced significantly higher rates of sexual abuse. Sexual minority youth experienced more physical and sexual abuse compared to heterosexual youth. Nonfamily members most often perpetrated…

The Seattle (Washington) Homeless Adolescent Research Project implemented Project Passage to provide individualized mental health services to homeless adolescents, involving assessment, linkage, advocacy, counseling, treatment teams, and crisis service. Participants evidenced lower levels of aggression and greater satisfaction with quality of life…

A sample of 364 homeless adolescents was interviewed about residential and family histories. Results indicate the youth came from generally troubled backgrounds and had elevated rates of psychiatric disorders. Boys' histories typically included physical abuse and girls' histories were more often marked by sexual abuse. (Contains references.)…

Homelessness among adolescents is a growing concern, with 1 to 1.5 million youths in any given year spending some period of time in emergency shelters or on the streets. These vulnerable youth have been found to exhibit a host of emotional and behavioral problems including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic reactions, drug and alcohol abuse, and…

Investigated the impact of childhood sexual abuse on later sexual victimization among homeless and runaway youth. Found high rates of childhood sexual abuse and street sexual victimization, with females experiencing higher rates than males. Early sexual abuse increased likelihood of later victimization indirectly by increasing amount of time at…

Objective: To examine family risk factors associated with dissociative symptoms among homeless and runaway youth. Method: Three hundred and twenty-eight homeless and runaway youth were interviewed using a systematic sampling strategy in metropolitan Seattle. Homeless young people were interviewed on the streets and in shelters by outreach workers…