John C. Buckner

Homelessness in female-headed families : Childhood and adult risk and protective factors

OBJECTIVES To identify risk and protective factors for family homelessness, a case-control study of homeless and low-income, never-homeless families, all female-headed, was conducted. METHODS Homeless mothers (n = 220) were enrolled from family shelters in Worcester, Mass. Low-income housed mothers receiving welfare (n = 216) formed the comparison group. The women completed an interview covering socioeconomic, social support, victimization, mental health, substance use, and health domains. RESULTS Childhood predictors of family homelessness included foster care placement and respondents mothers use of drugs. Independent risk factors in adulthood included minority status, recent move to Worcester, recent eviction, interpersonal conflict, frequent alcohol or heroin use, and recent hospitalization for a mental health problem. Protective factors included being a primary tenant, receiving cash assistance or a housing subsidy, graduating from high school, and having a larger social network. CONCLUSIONS Factors that compromise an individuals economic and social resources are associated with greater risk of losing ones home.

Understanding the Impact of Homelessness on Children Challenges and Future Research Directions

Focusing on the central aim of many published studies involving homeless children in the United States, this article summarizes findings on the effects of homelessness on childrens mental health, health, developmental status, and academic achievement. Researchers have repeatedly documented that poverty is associated with higher rates of problems among both homeless and low-income housed groups of children in comparison to children in the broader population. Although the majority of studies have found homeless children to evidence greater problems than low-income housed children, results are inconsistent. Factors that may account for these discrepant findings are discussed, and recommendations for additional research are offered.

Exposure to violence and low-income children's mental health: direct, moderated, and mediated relations.

The authors examined the association between exposure to violence and different indexes of mental health among 95 extremely poor children (age range = 8-17 years) and analyzed potential moderators and mediators. Findings indicated that 62% of youths had been exposed to at least 1 form of violence. Controlling for other explanatory factors, exposure to violence was significantly associated with internalizing symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety) across all children, but the relation was stronger for girls compared with boys. Externalizing problem behaviors were also associated with exposure to violence, but subgroup differences were not detected. Regression analyses indicated that self-esteem and a measure of perceived chronic danger may partially mediate the link between violence exposure and mental health symptoms.

Self‐Regulation and Its Relations to Adaptive Functioning in Low Income Youths

Most studies of self-regulation involving children have linked it to specific outcomes within a single domain of adaptive functioning. The authors examined the association of self-regulation with a range of indices of adaptive functioning among 155 youth ages 8-18 years from families with very low income. Controlling for other explanatory variables, self-regulation was strongly associated with various outcome measures in the areas of mental health, behavior, academic achievement, and social competence. The authors also contrasted youths relatively high and low in self-regulation (the top and bottom quartiles). Youths with good self-regulation had much better indices of adaptive functioning across measures of social competence, academic achievement, grades, problem behaviors, and depression and anxiety than their counterparts with more diminished self-regulatory capacities. In addition, youths with better self-regulation skills stated more adaptive responses both in terms of how they coped with past stressful live events and how they would deal with hypothetical stressors. This study indicates that self-regulation is robustly associated with a range of important indices of adaptive functioning across many domains. Findings are discussed in light of their implications for theory and intervention for children of diverse economic backgrounds.

Homelessness and Its Relation to the Mental Health and Behavior of Low-Income School-Age Children.

This study examined the relationship between housing status and depression, anxiety, and problem behaviors among children age 6 and older who were members of low-income, single-parent, female-headed families. Participants were 80 homeless and 148 never homeless children living in Worcester, Massachusetts. Children in both groups had recently been exposed to various severe stressors. Mother-reported problem behaviors were above normative levels for both homeless and poor housed youths but self-reported depression and anxiety were not. Controlling for other explanatory variables, housing status was associated with internalizing problem behaviors but not with externalizing behaviors. Among homeless youths, internalizing behavior problems showed a positive but curvilinear relationship with number of weeks having lived in a shelter. Housing status was not associated with self-reported depression and anxiety. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for programmatic interventions and in light of recent welfare reform.

Mental Disorders and Service Utilization Among Youths From Homeless and Low-Income Housed Families

OBJECTIVE To assess the mental health of homeless and poor housed youths, using the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC) Version 2.3, and to examine mental health service use. METHOD As part of a comprehensive study of homeless and housed families Worcester, MA, data were collected on 41 homeless and 53 poor housed (never homeless) youths aged 9 to 17 using both the parent and youth versions of the DISC. RESULTS On the basis of the parent version of the DISC, current (6-month) prevalence rates of DSM-III-R disruptive behavior, affective, and anxiety disorders were comparable in homeless and housed youths but higher than rates found among youths in the NIMH-sponsored Methods for the Epidemiology of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders (MECA) Study, which used the same diagnostic measure. Approximately 32% of the combined sample of homeless and housed youths had a current mental disorder accompanied by impairment in functioning. Mental health service use in the preceding 6 months among youths who had one or more current disorders and associated impairment ranged from 20% to 35%. A subgroup of youths with one or more current disorders and poor global functioning had never received treatment. CONCLUSIONS This sample of homeless and housed youths was found to have high rates of current mental disorders. Use of mental health services by children with mental health needs was low, particularly for youths with poor overall functioning.

Predictors of Academic Achievement among Homeless and Low-Income Housed Children.

Abstract Based on a study of sheltered homeless and low-income housed families, predictors of academic achievement among 174 English-speaking children age 6 and older were examined, focusing on housing status, mobility, and race/ethnicity. Days absent from school was hypothesized as the mediating link between homelessness and academic achievement. In multivariate analyses, a composite measure of academic achievement was independently predicted by childs gender (girls scoring higher than boys), race/ethnic status (non-Latino Whites scoring higher than children of color), age, and school mobility. Housing status was not associated with academic achievement. Results indicated that homeless and housed children had comparable rates of absenteeism and other school-related problems, which may explain why homeless and housed children were similar in terms of achievement. Although children of color were equivalent to non-Latino White children in terms of nonverbal intellectual ability, their lower academic achievement scores suggest that they are not reaching their academic potential.

A Comparison of the Health and Mental Health Status of Homeless Mothers in Worcester, Mass: 1993 and 2003

OBJECTIVES We assessed background characteristics, health status, and prevalence rates of mental health disorders in 2 studies of homeless mothers conducted in Worcester, Mass, one in 1993 and the other in 2003. METHODS We compared the women taking part in the 2 studies, which involved similar methodologies, on the key variables of interest over time. RESULTS Homeless families taking part in the 2003 study were poorer than those taking part in the 1993 study, and female heads of household in that study reported more physical health limitations, major depressive illness, and posttraumatic stress disorder. CONCLUSION Data from 2003 suggest that the characteristics of homeless mothers changed over the 10-year period assessed. Service providers and shelter staff may need to refine services so that they are responsive to these changing needs.

Adaptation in Homeless Children: An Empirical Examination Using Cluster Analysis

Using a person-centered analytical approach, this article examines data from the Worcester Family Research Project to determine whether homeless children (53 preschoolers and 69 school-age children) can be classified into subgroups based on measures of behavior problems, adaptive functioning, and achievement. Cluster analyses revealed two clusters: higher functioning children (doing well across all three domains, n = 57) and lower functioning children (doing poorly across all three domains, n = 65). These results highlight that homeless children are not a homogeneous group, that a subgroup of children are doing well despite the stresses they face, and that services and policies perhaps ought to be more specifically targeted.

The developmental status and adaptive behavior of homeless and low-income housed infants and toddlers.

OBJECTIVES This study describes the development status of 127 homeless and 91 low-income housed infants and toddlers. METHODS The Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Vineland Screener were used to gather data. RESULTS There were no differences between homeless and low-income housed children. However, younger children in both groups performed better than the older children on most summary scores. CONCLUSIONS Homeless and low-income housed children did not differ in their cognitive and motor skills. However, older children scored lower than younger children on most measures of development status, suggesting that the cumulative effects of poverty may increase with time.