IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/epplan/v45y2014icp90-101.html

Social networks as the context for understanding employment services utilization among homeless youth

Author

Listed:
  • Barman-Adhikari, Anamika
  • Rice, Eric

Abstract

Little is known about the factors associated with use of employment services among homeless youth. Social network characteristics have been known to be influential in motivating people's decision to seek services. Traditional theoretical frameworks applied to studies of service use emphasize individual factors over social contexts and interactions. Using key social network, social capital, and social influence theories, this paper developed an integrated theoretical framework that capture the social network processes that act as barriers or facilitators of use of employment services by homeless youth, and understand empirically, the salience of each of these constructs in influencing the use of employment services among homeless youth. We used the “Event based-approach” strategy to recruit a sample of 136 homeless youth at one drop-in agency serving homeless youth in Los Angeles, California in 2008. The participants were queried regarding their individual and network characteristics. Data were entered into NetDraw 2.090 and the spring embedder routine was used to generate the network visualizations. Logistic regression was used to assess the influence of the network characteristics on use of employment services. The study findings suggest that social capital is more significant in understanding why homeless youth use employment services, relative to network structure and network influence. In particular, bonding and bridging social capital were found to have differential effects on use of employment services among this population. The results from this study provide specific directions for interventions aimed to increase use of employment services among homeless youth.

Suggested Citation

  • Barman-Adhikari, Anamika & Rice, Eric, 2014. "Social networks as the context for understanding employment services utilization among homeless youth," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 90-101.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:epplan:v:45:y:2014:i:c:p:90-101
    DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2014.03.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149718914000226
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2014.03.005?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

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lenz-Rashid, Sonja, 2006. "Employment experiences of homeless young adults: Are they different for youth with a history of foster care?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 235-259, March.
    2. Garrett, Sharon B. & Higa, Darrel H. & Phares, Melissa M. & Peterson, Peggy L. & Wells, Elizabeth A. & Baer, John S., 2008. "Homeless youths' perceptions of services and transitions to stable housing," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 436-444, November.
    3. Irwin, Jay & LaGory, Mark & Ritchey, Ferris & Fitzpatrick, Kevin, 2008. "Social assets and mental distress among the homeless: Exploring the roles of social support and other forms of social capital on depression," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(12), pages 1935-1943, December.
    4. Rice, E. & Barman-Adhikari, A. & Milburn, N.G. & Monro, W., 2012. "Position-specific HIV risk in a large network of homeless youths," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(1), pages 141-147.
    5. Stephen P. Borgatti & Daniel S. Halgin, 2011. "On Network Theory," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 1168-1181, October.
    6. Lovell, Anne M., 2002. "Risking risk: the influence of types of capital and social networks on the injection practices of drug users," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 55(5), pages 803-821, September.
    7. Tyler, Kimberly A. & Akinyemi, Sarah L. & Kort-Butler, Lisa A., 2012. "Correlates of service utilization among homeless youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1344-1350.
    8. Hook, Jennifer L. & Courtney, Mark E., 2011. "Employment outcomes of former foster youth as young adults: The importance of human, personal, and social capital," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1855-1865, October.
    9. Friedman, S.R. & Neaigus, A. & Jose, B. & Curtis, R. & Goldstein, M. & Ildefonso, G. & Rothenberg, R.B. & Des Jarlais, D.C., 1997. "Sociometric risk networks and risk for HIV infection," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 87(8), pages 1289-1296.
    10. Berkman, Lisa F. & Glass, Thomas & Brissette, Ian & Seeman, Teresa E., 2000. "From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 51(6), pages 843-857, September.
    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. Narendorf, Sarah Carter & Bowen, Elizabeth & Santa Maria, Diane & Thibaudeau, Eva, 2018. "Risk and resilience among young adults experiencing homelessness: A typology for service planning," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 157-165.
    2. Jennings, Larissa & Shore, Deborah & Strohminger, Nancy & Allison, Burgundi, 2015. "Entrepreneurial development for U.S. minority homeless and unstably housed youth: A qualitative inquiry on value, barriers, and impact on health," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 39-47.
    3. Ha, Yoonsook & Narendorf, Sarah C. & Santa Maria, Diane & Bezette-Flores, Noel, 2015. "Barriers and facilitators to shelter utilization among homeless young adults," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 25-33.
    4. Narendorf, Sarah C. & Brydon, Daphne M. & Santa Maria, Diane & Bender, Kimberly & Ferguson, Kristin M. & Hsu, Hsun-Ta & Barman-Adhikari, Anamika & Shelton, Jama & Petering, Robin, 2020. "System involvement among young adults experiencing homelessness: Characteristics of four system-involved subgroups and relationship to risk outcomes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    5. Napoleon, Jenilee-Sarah & Evans, David W. & Weva, Vanessa K. & Francois, Tamarah & Namdari, Reyhane & Sherman, Jessica & Rimada, Camila M. & Morisseau, Nancy & Lafontant, Emmanuel & Miller, Sydney & B, 2023. "Rethinking narratives about youth experiencing homelessness: Exploring essential relationships and resilience," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    6. DiGuiseppi, Graham & Clomax, Adriane & Rampton Dodge, Jessica & Rice, Eric, 2021. "Social network correlates of education and employment service use among youth experiencing homelessness: A longitudinal study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    7. Yoonsook, Ha & Thomas, Margaret M.C. & Narendorf, Sarah Carter & Maria, Diane Santa, 2018. "Correlates of shelter use among young adults experiencing homelessness," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 477-484.
    8. Blakeslee, Jennifer E., 2015. "Measuring the support networks of transition-age foster youth: Preliminary validation of a social network assessment for research and practice," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 123-134.
    9. DeChants, Jonah P. & Shelton, Jama & Anyon, Yolanda & Bender, Kimberly, 2022. "“I just want to move forward”: Themes of resilience among LGBTQ young adults experiencing family rejection and housing insecurity," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    10. Zhang, Jing & Slesnick, Natasha & Famelia, Ruri & Feng, Xin, 2025. "Housing stability, employment, and survival behaviors among young mothers experiencing homelessness: A randomized controlled trial of a housing intervention," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 366(C).
    11. Ferguson, Kristin M. & Bender, Kimberly & Thompson, Sanna J., 2015. "Gender, coping strategies, homelessness stressors, and income generation among homeless young adults in three cities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 47-55.

    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. Robert Suchting & Michael S. Businelle & Stephen W. Hwang & Nikhil S. Padhye & Yijiong Yang & Diane M. Santa Maria, 2020. "Predicting Daily Sheltering Arrangements among Youth Experiencing Homelessness Using Diary Measurements Collected by Ecological Momentary Assessment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-17, September.
    2. Katz, Matthew & Ward, Rose Marie & Heere, Bob, 2018. "Explaining attendance through the brand community triad: Integrating network theory and team identification," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 176-188.
    3. Cassarino-Perez, Luciana & Crous, Gemma & Goemans, Anouk & Montserrat, Carme & Sarriera, Jorge Castellà, 2018. "From care to education and employment: A meta-analysis," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 407-416.
    4. Yoonsook, Ha & Thomas, Margaret M.C. & Narendorf, Sarah Carter & Maria, Diane Santa, 2018. "Correlates of shelter use among young adults experiencing homelessness," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 477-484.
    5. Villagrana, Kalah M. & Mody, Elizabeth H. & Lawler, Siobhan M. & Wu, Qi & Ferguson, Kristin M., 2020. "Educational outcomes for homeless young adults with and without a history in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    6. Ha, Yoonsook & Narendorf, Sarah C. & Santa Maria, Diane & Bezette-Flores, Noel, 2015. "Barriers and facilitators to shelter utilization among homeless young adults," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 25-33.
    7. repec:plo:pone00:0105161 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Kim, Youngmi & Ju, Eunsu & Rosenberg, Rachel & Farmer, Elizabeth (Betsy) M.Z., 2019. "Estimating the effects of independent living services on educational attainment and employment of foster care youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 294-301.
    9. Amanda Yoshioka-Maxwell & Eric Rice, 2017. "Exploring the impact of network characteristics on substance use outcomes among homeless former foster youth," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 62(3), pages 371-378, April.
    10. Tucker, Joan S. & Pedersen, Eric R. & Parast, Layla & Klein, David J., 2018. "Factors associated with drop-in center utilization among unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 347-354.
    11. Rosaria Lumino & Giancarlo Ragozini & Marijtje Duijn & Maria Prosperina Vitale, 2017. "A mixed-methods approach for analysing social support and social anchorage of single mothers’ personal networks," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 779-797, March.
    12. Damiano Fiorillo & Nunzia Nappo, 2017. "Formal volunteering and self-perceived health. Causal evidence from the UK-SILC," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 75(2), pages 112-138, April.
    13. Laura E. Marler & Laura J. Stanley, 2018. "Commentary: Who Are Your Friends? The Influence of Identification and Family In-Group and Out-Group Friendships on Nonfamily Employee OCB and Deviance," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 42(2), pages 310-316, March.
    14. Jenny Gierveld & Pearl A. Dykstra & Niels Schenk, 2012. "Living arrangements, intergenerational support types and older adult loneliness in Eastern and Western Europe," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 27(7), pages 167-200.
    15. Schofield, Thomas J. & Conger, Rand D. & Gonzales, Joseph E. & Merrick, Melissa T., 2016. "Harsh parenting, physical health, and the protective role of positive parent-adolescent relationships," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 18-26.
    16. Marian Vasile & Marja Aartsen & Iuliana Precupetu & Laura Tufă & Diana-Alexandra Dumitrescu & Rosa Maria Radogna, 2024. "Association Between Social Isolation and Mental Well-Being in Later Life. What is the Role of Loneliness?," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 19(1), pages 245-267, February.
    17. Davison, Kirsten K. & Nishi, Akihiro & Kranz, Sibylle & Wyckoff, Lynae & May, John J. & Earle-Richardson, Giulia B. & Strogatz, David S. & Jenkins, Paul L., 2012. "Associations among social capital, parenting for active lifestyles, and youth physical activity in rural families living in upstate New York," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(8), pages 1488-1496.
    18. Anthony P Cannizzaro, 0. "Social influence and MNE strategic response to political risk: A global network approach," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 0, pages 1-22.
    19. Onnela, Jukka-Pekka & Landon, Bruce E. & Kahn, Anna-Lea & Ahmed, Danish & Verma, Harish & O'Malley, A. James & Bahl, Sunil & Sutter, Roland W. & Christakis, Nicholas A., 2016. "Polio vaccine hesitancy in the networks and neighborhoods of Malegaon, India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 99-106.
    20. Deborah A. Cobb-Clark & Anna Zhu, 2017. "Childhood homelessness and adult employment: the role of education, incarceration, and welfare receipt," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 30(3), pages 893-924, July.
    21. Andersen, Signe Hald, 2019. "The effect of aftercare on human capital acquisition among foster care alumni," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 28-41.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:epplan:v:45:y:2014:i:c:p:90-101. 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/evalprogplan .

    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.