IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v34y2012i12p2392-2399.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Substance use and victimization: Street-involved youths' perspectives and service implications

Author

Listed:
  • Bender, Kimberly
  • Thompson, Sanna J.
  • Ferguson, Kristin
  • Komlo, Chelsea
  • Taylor, Chelsea
  • Yoder, Jamie

Abstract

Homeless youths' use of substances is highly related to experiences of trauma and the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms. The current study approached homeless young people to elicit their perspectives regarding how their substance use and trauma experiences are interrelated. Recruited from a homeless youth service settings, youth (n=50) participated in qualitative, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews that queried youth on two broad topics: how substances might place youth at risk for victimization and how substances may be used as a coping strategy. Youth identified several ways substance use placed them at further risk (e.g., decreasing awareness of potential danger, increasing physical risk through overdose or addiction, disconnecting them from support systems, and increasing risk for violence related to criminal behavior). They also described multiple ways in which substances temporarily helped them cope with past trauma (e.g., escaping difficult thoughts, improving negative moods, relaxing, and socializing with others). Many youth (68%) described using substances as a “temporary fix” or “band-aid” to cope with memories of past trauma that eventually placed them at higher risk for further victimization. Adaptations to existing prevention services that incorporate the interconnectedness between substance use and trauma are suggested.

Suggested Citation

  • Bender, Kimberly & Thompson, Sanna J. & Ferguson, Kristin & Komlo, Chelsea & Taylor, Chelsea & Yoder, Jamie, 2012. "Substance use and victimization: Street-involved youths' perspectives and service implications," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2392-2399.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:34:y:2012:i:12:p:2392-2399
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.09.008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740912003532
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.09.008?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Martijn, Claudine & Sharpe, Louise, 2006. "Pathways to youth homelessness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 1-12, January.
    2. Tyler, Kimberly & Melander, Lisa & Almazan, Elbert, 2010. "Self injurious behavior among homeless young adults: A social stress analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(2), pages 269-276, January.
    3. Thompson, Sanna & Jun, Jina & Bender, Kimberly & Ferguson, Kristin M. & Pollio, David E., 2010. "Estrangement factors associated with addiction to alcohol and drugs among homeless youth in three U.S. cities," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 418-427, November.
    4. Tsemberis, S. & Gulcur, L. & Nakae, M., 2004. "Housing First, Consumer Choice, and Harm Reduction for Homeless Individuals with a Dual Diagnosis," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(4), pages 651-656.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ferguson, Kristin M. & Bender, Kimberly & Thompson, Sanna J., 2016. "Predicting illegal income generation among homeless male and female young adults: Understanding strains and responses to strains," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 101-109.
    2. Wachter, Karin & Thompson, Sanna J. & Bender, Kimberly & Ferguson, Kristin, 2015. "Predictors of multiple arrests among homeless young adults: Gender differences," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 32-38.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Myra Piat & Lauren Polvere & Maritt Kirst & Jijian Voronka & Denise Zabkiewicz & Marie-Carmen Plante & Corinne Isaak & Danielle Nolin & Geoffrey Nelson & Paula Goering, 2015. "Pathways into homelessness: Understanding how both individual and structural factors contribute to and sustain homelessness in Canada," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 52(13), pages 2366-2382, October.
    2. Charles Walsh & Anita M Hubley & Matthew J To & Monica Norena & Anne Gadermann & Susan Farrell & Stephen W Hwang & Anita Palepu, 2019. "The effect of forensic events on health status and housing stability among homeless and vulnerably housed individuals: A cohort study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(2), pages 1-14, February.
    3. Pádraig Collins & Chris Barker, 2009. "Psychological Help-Seeking in Homeless Adolescents," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 55(4), pages 372-384, July.
    4. Yerko Rojas, 2017. "Evictions and short-term all-cause mortality: a 3-year follow-up study of a middle-aged Swedish population," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 62(3), pages 343-351, April.
    5. Suzanne Fitzpatrick & Glen Bramley & Sarah Johnsen, 2013. "Pathways into Multiple Exclusion Homelessness in Seven UK Cities," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(1), pages 148-168, January.
    6. Patricia M. Chen, 2019. "Housing First and Single-Site Housing," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-10, April.
    7. Duff, Cameron & Hill, Nicholas & Blunden, Hazel & valentine, kylie & Randall, Sean & Scutella, Rosanna & Johnson, Guy, 2021. "Leaving rehab: enhancing transitions into stable housing," SocArXiv vypsj, Center for Open Science.
    8. Marta Gaboardi & Michela Lenzi & Francesca Disperati & Massimo Santinello & Alessio Vieno & Aurélie Tinland & Maria J. Vargas-Moniz & Freek Spinnewijn & Branagh R. O’Shaughnessy & Judith R. Wolf & Ann, 2019. "Goals and Principles of Providers Working with People Experiencing Homelessness: A Comparison Between Housing First and Traditional Staircase Services in Eight European Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-17, May.
    9. Schelbe, Lisa, 2018. "Struggles, successes, and setbacks: Youth aging out of child welfare in a subsidized housing program," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 298-308.
    10. Bernet, Alice & Warren, Cristina & Adams, Susie, 2015. "Using a community-based participatory research approach to evaluate resident predictors of involuntary exit from permanent supportive housing," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 63-69.
    11. Semborski, Sara & Redline, Brian & Madden, Danielle & Granger, Theresa & Henwood, Benjamin, 2021. "Housing interventions for emerging adults experiencing homelessness: A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    12. Nelson, Geoffrey & Stefancic, Ana & Rae, Jennifer & Townley, Greg & Tsemberis, Sam & Macnaughton, Eric & Aubry, Tim & Distasio, Jino & Hurtubise, Roch & Patterson, Michelle & Stergiopoulos, Vicky & Pi, 2014. "Early implementation evaluation of a multi-site housing first intervention for homeless people with mental illness: A mixed methods approach," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 16-26.
    13. Corinth, Kevin, 2017. "The impact of permanent supportive housing on homeless populations," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 69-84.
    14. Fleury, Marie-Josée & Grenier, Guy & Vallée, Catherine & Hurtubise, Roch & Lévesque, Paul-André, 2014. "The role of advocacy coalitions in a project implementation process: The example of the planning phase of the At Home/Chez Soi project dealing with homelessness in Montreal," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 42-49.
    15. Owczarzak, Jill & Kazi, Asiya K. & Mazhnaya, Alyona & Alpatova, Polina & Zub, Tatyana & Filippova, Olga & Phillips, Sarah D., 2021. "“You're nobody without a piece of paper:” visibility, the state, and access to services among women who use drugs in Ukraine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    16. Lars Benjaminsen, 2018. "Housing First in Denmark: An Analysis of the Coverage Rate among Homeless People and Types of Shelter Users," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(3), pages 327-336.
    17. Alison L. Weightman & Mark J. Kelson & Ian Thomas & Mala K. Mann & Lydia Searchfield & Simone Willis & Ben Hannigan & Robin J. Smith & Rhiannon Cordiner, 2023. "Exploring the effect of case management in homelessness per components: A systematic review of effectiveness and implementation, with meta‐analysis and thematic synthesis," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(2), June.
    18. Hawkins, Robert Leibson & Abrams, Courtney, 2007. "Disappearing acts: The social networks of formerly homeless individuals with co-occurring disorders," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(10), pages 2031-2042, November.
    19. Kühnle, Daniel & Johnson, Guy & Tseng, Yi-Ping, 2022. "Making It Home? Evidence on the Long-Run Impact of an Intensive Support Program for the Chronically Homeless on Housing, Employment and Health," IZA Discussion Papers 15678, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. William N. Evans & David C. Phillips & Krista Ruffini, 2021. "Policies To Reduce And Prevent Homelessness: What We Know And Gaps In The Research," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(3), pages 914-963, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:34:y:2012:i:12:p:2392-2399. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.