Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Adult Support and Substance Use Among Homeless Youths Who Attend High School

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Child & Youth Care Forum Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

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.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alloway, R., & Bebbington, P. (1987). The buffer theory of social support: A review of the literature. Psychological Medicine, 17(1), 91–108. doi:10.1017/S0033291700013015.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Austin, G., & Duerr, M. (2005). Guidebook for the California healthy kids survey part I: Administration. San Francisco, CA: WestEd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bao, W. N., Whitbeck, L. B., & Hoyt, D. R. (2000). Abuse, support, and depression among homeless and runaway adolescents. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 41(4), 408–420. doi:10.2307/2676294.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baron, S. W. (2004). General strain, street youth and crime: A test of Agnew’s revised theory. Criminology, 42, 457–483. doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.2004.tb00526.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.51.6.1173.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Benson, P. L. (2003). Developmental assets and asset-building community: Conceptual and empirical foundations. In R. M. Lerner & P. L. Benson (Eds.), Developmental assets and asset-building communities: Implications for research, policy and practice (pp. 19–43). New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107(2), 238–246. doi:10.1037//0033-2909.107.2.238.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1985). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York, NY: Greenwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1993). Sociology in question. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bousman, C. A., Blumberg, E. J., Shillington, A. M., Hovell, M. F., Ji, M., Lehman, S., et al. (2005). Predictors of substance use among homeless youth in San Diego. Addictive Behaviors, 30(6), 1100–1110. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2004.10.006.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bridgman, R. (2001). I helped build that: A demonstration employment training program for homeless youth in Toronto, Canada. American Anthropologist, 103(3), 779–795. doi:10.1525/aa.2001.103.3.779.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronstein, L. R. (1996). Intervening with homeless youths: Direct practice without blaming the victim. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 13(2), 127–138. doi:10.1007/BF01876642.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byrne, B. M. (2001). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications and programming. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Catalano, R. F., Berglund, M. L., Ryan, J. A. M., Lonczak, H. S., & Hawkins, J. D. (2004). Positive youth development in the United States: Research findings on evaluations of positive youth development programs. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591(1), 98–124. doi:10.1177/0002716203260102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cauce, A. M., Paradise, M., Ginzler, J. A., Embry, L., Morgan, C. J., Lohr, Y., et al. (2000). The characteristics and mental health of homeless adolescents: Age and gender differences. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 8(4), 230–239. doi:10.1177/106342660000800403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coker, A. L., Smith, P. H., McKeown, R. E., & King, M. J. (2000). Frequency and correlates of partner violence by type: Physical, sexual and psychological battering. American Journal of Public Health, 90(4), 553–559. http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.90.4.553.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94(s1), 95–120. doi:10.1086/228943.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Rosa, C. J., Montgomery, S. B., Kipke, M. D., Iverson, E., Ma, J. L., & Unger, J. B. (1999). Service utilization among homeless and runaway youth in Los Angeles, California: Rates and reasons. Journal of Adolescent Health, 24(6), 449–458. doi:10.1016/S1054-139X(99)00040-3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Delgado, M. (2002). New frontiers for youth development in the twenty-first century. Revitalizing and broadening youth development. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellickson, P., Saner, H., & McGuigan, K. A. (1997). Profiles of violent youth: Substance use and other concurrent problems. American Journal of Public Health, 87(6), 985–991. doi:10.2105/AJPH.87.6.985.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson, K., Jun, J., Bender, K., Thompson, S., & Pollio, D. (2010). A comparison of addiction and transience among street youth: Los Angeles, California, Austin, Texas, and St. Louis, Missouri. Community Mental Health Journal, 46(3), 296–307. doi:10.1007/s10597-009-9264-x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler, P., Toro, P., & Miles, B. (2009). Pathways to and from homelessness and associated psychosocial outcomes among adolescents leaving the foster care system. American Journal of Public Health, 99(8), 1453–1458. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2008.142547.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, M. W., Galinsky, M. J., & Richman, J. M. (1999). Risk, production, and resilience: Toward a conceptual framework for social work practice. Social Work Research, 23(3), 131–143. doi:10.1093/swr/23.3.131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaetz, S. (2004). Safe streets for whom? Homeless youth, social exclusion, and criminal victimization. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 46(4), 423–455. doi:10.3138/cjccj.46.4.423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaetz, S., & O’Grady, B. (2002). Making money: Exploring the economy of young homeless workers. Work, Employment & Society, 16(3), 433–456. doi:10.1177/095001702762217425.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greene, J. M., Ennett, S. T., & Ringwalt, C. L. (1997). Substance use among runaway and homeless youth in three national samples. American Journal of Public Health, 87(2), 229–235. doi:10.2105/AJPH.87.2.229.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greene, J. M., Ennett, S. T., & Ringwalt, C. L. (1999). Prevalence and correlates of survival sex among runaway and homeless youth. American Journal of Public Health, 89(9), 1406–1409. doi:10.2105/AJPH.89.9.1406.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Miller, J. Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescent and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 64–105. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., & Weis, J. G. (1985). The social development model: An integrated approach to delinquency prevention. Journal of Primary Prevention, 6(2), 73–97. doi:10.1007/BF01325432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henry, K. L., & Thornberry, T. P. (2010). Truancy and escalation of substance use during adolescence. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 71(1), 115–124. PMCID: PMC2815052.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Howard, M. O., & Jenson, J. M. (1999). Inhalant use among antisocial youth: Prevalence and correlates. Addictive Behaviors, 24(1), 59–74. doi:10.1016/S0306-4603(98)00039-2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, K. D., Whitbeck, L. B., & Hoyt, D. R. (2005). Substance abuse disorders among homeless and runaway adolescents. Journal of Drug Issues, 35(4), 799–816. PMCID: PMC3083077.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kipke, M. D., O’Connor, S., Palmer, R., & MacKenzie, R. G. (1995). Street youth in Los Angeles: Profile of a group at high risk for human immunodeficiency virus infection. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 149(5), 513–519. doi:10.1001/archpedi.1995.02170180043006.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kipke, M. D., Unger, J. B., O’Connor, S., Palmer, R. F., & LaFrance, S. R. (1997). Street youth, their peer group affiliation and differences according to residential status, subsistence patterns, and use of services. Adolescence, 32(127), 655–669. AN: 9711193419.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guildford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacKinnon, D., Krull, J. L., & Lockwood, C. M. (2000). Equivalence of the mediation, confounding and suppression effect. Prevention Science, 1(4), 173–181. doi:10.1023/A:1026595011371.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy, B., & Hagan, J. (2001). When crime pays: Capital, competence, and criminal success. Social Forces, 79(3), 1035–1059. doi:10.1353/sof.2001.0027.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMorris, B. J., Tyler, K. A., Whitbeck, L. B., & Hoyt, D. R. (2002). Familial and “on-the-street” risk factors associated with alcohol use among homeless and runaway adolescents. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 63(1), 34–43. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologyfacpub/43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milburn, N., Rotheram-Borus, M., Rice, E., Mallet, S., & Rosenthal, D. (2006). Cross-national variations in behavioral profiles among homeless youth. American Journal of Community Psychology, 37(1), 63–76. doi:10.1007/s10464-005-9005-4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Sullivan, J., & Lussier-Duynstee, P. (2006). Adolescent homelessness, nursing, and public health policy. Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice, 7(1), 73–77. doi:10.1177/1527154406286663.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osgood, D. W., Wilson, J. K., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Johnston, L. D. (1996). Routine activities and individual deviant behavior. American Sociological Review, 61(4), 635–655. doi:10.2307/2096397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rew, L., Taylor-Seehafer, M., & Fitzgerald, M. L. (2001). Sexual abuse, alcohol and other drug use, and suicidal behaviors in homeless adolescents. Issues in Comparative Pediatric Nursing, 24(4), 225–240. doi:10.1080/014608601753260326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runyan, D. K., Hunter, W. M., Socolar, R. S., Amaya-Jackson, L., English, D., Landsverk, J., et al. (1998). Children who prosper in unfavorable environments: The relationship to social capital. Pediatrics, 101(1), 12–18. doi:10.1542/peds.101.1.12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shrout, P. E., & Bolger, N. (2002). Mediation in experimental and non-experimental studies: New procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods, 7(4), 422–445. doi:10.1037//1082-989X.7.4.422.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Slesnick, N., Meyers, R. J., Meade, M., & Segelken, D. H. (2000). Bleak and hopeless no more: Engagement of reluctant substance-abusing runaway youth and their families. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 19(3), 215–222. doi:10.1016/S0740-5472(00)00100-8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stephenson, S. (2001). Street children in Moscow: Using and creating social capital. The Sociological Review, 49(4), 530–547. doi:10.1111/1467-954X.00346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teachman, J. D., Paasch, K., & Carver, K. (1996). Social capital and dropping out of school early. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58(3), 773–783. doi:10.2307/353735.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, S. J. (2004). Risk/protective factors associated with substance use among runaway/homeless youth utilizing emergency shelter services nationwide. Substance Abuse, 25(3), 13–26. doi:10.1300/J465v25n03_02.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, S. J., McManus, H. H., & Voss, T. (2006). Posttraumatic stress disorder and substance abuse among youth who are homeless: Treatment issues and implications. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 6(3), 206–217. doi:10.1093/brief-treatment/mhl002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, S. J., Pollio, D. E., Constantine, J., Reid, D., & Nebbitt, V. (2002). Short-term outcomes for youth receiving runaway and homeless shelter services. Research on Social Work Practice, 12(5), 589–603. doi:10.1177/1049731502012005001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, S. J., Safyer, A. W., & Pollio, D. E. (2001). Differences and predictors of family reunification among subgroups of runaway youth using shelter services. Social Work Research, 25(3), 163–172. doi:10.1093/swr/25.3.163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, S. J., Zittel-Palamara, K., & Forehand, G. (2005). Risk factors for cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use among runaway youth utilizing two service sectors. Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 15(1), 17–36. doi:10.1300/J029v15n01_02.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, K. A., Cauce, A. M., & Whitbeck, L. B. (2004). Family risk factors and prevalence of dissociative symptoms among homeless and runaway youth. Child Abuse and Neglect, 28(3), 355–366. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2003.11.019.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, K. A., & Johnson, K. A. (2006). Pathways in and out of substance use among homeless emerging adults. Journal of Adolescent Research, 21(2), 133–157. doi:10.1177/0743558405285494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • US Department of Education. (2004). Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act Of 2001. Non- regulatory guidance. Retrieved on January 19, 2012 from http://www2.ed.gov/programs/homeless/guidance.pdf.

  • US Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2002). McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youths Program. Notice of school enrollment guidelines. Retrieved on January 16, 2012 from http://www2.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2002-1/030802a.html.

  • Whitbeck, L. B. (2009). Mental health and emerging adulthood among homeless young people. New York, NY: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitbeck, L. B., Hoyt, D. R., & Yoder, K. A. (1999). A risk-amplification model of victimization and depressive symptoms among runaway and homeless adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 27(2), 273–296. doi:10.1023/A:1022891802943.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xie, B., Unger, J., Gallaher, P., Johnson, C. A., Wu, Q., & Chou, C.-P. (2009). Overweight, body image, and depression in Asian and Hispanic adolescents. American Journal of Health Behavior, 34(4), 476–488. PMCID: PMC2860429.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoder, K. A., Whitbeck, L. B., & Hoyt, D. R. (2003). Gang involvement and membership among homeless and runaway youth. Youth & Society, 34(4), 441–467. doi:10.1177/0044118X03034004003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, 2180 3rd Avenue, New York, NY, 10035, USA

    Kristin M. Ferguson

  2. School of Community and Global Health, Claremont Graduate University, 180 E. Via Verde Street, Suite 100, San Dimas, CA, 91773, USA

    Bin Xie

Authors
  1. Kristin M. Ferguson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bin Xie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristin M. Ferguson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ferguson, K.M., Xie, B. Adult Support and Substance Use Among Homeless Youths Who Attend High School. Child Youth Care Forum 41, 427–445 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-012-9175-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-012-9175-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation