IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i6p3320-d769149.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Feasibility Study of the My Strengths Training for Life™ (MST4Life™) Program for Young People Experiencing Homelessness

Author

Listed:
  • Jennifer Cumming

    (School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
    Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK)

  • Fiona J. Clarke

    (School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK)

  • Mark J. G. Holland

    (Department of Health and Sport, Newman University, Birmingham B32 3NT, UK)

  • Benjamin J. Parry

    (School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK)

  • Mary L. Quinton

    (School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK)

  • Sam J. Cooley

    (School of Psychology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK)

Abstract

My Strengths Training for Life™ (MST4Life™) is a positive youth development program for improving wellbeing and social inclusion in young people experiencing homelessness. MST4Life™ addresses a gap in strengths-based programs aimed at promoting healthy and optimal development in vulnerable older adolescents/emerging adults. The program was co-developed with a UK housing service as part of a long-term (>8 years) community–academic partnership. This mixed-methods study describes a key step in developing and evaluating the program: exploring its feasibility and acceptability with 15 homeless young people (Mean age = 19.99 years, SD = 2.42; 60% male, 40% female). Participants experienced 8 weekly sessions within their local community, followed by a 4-day/3-night residential outdoor adventure trip. In addition to their attendance records, the viewpoints of the participants and their support workers were obtained using diary rooms and focus groups. Feasibility was indicated via the themes of attendance, engagement, and reaction. The findings suggested that young people enjoyed and perceived a need for the program, that they considered the program and its evaluation methods to be acceptable, and that both the community-based and outdoor adventure residential phases could be implemented as planned. Minor modifications are needed to recruitment strategies before it is more widely rolled out and evaluated.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer Cumming & Fiona J. Clarke & Mark J. G. Holland & Benjamin J. Parry & Mary L. Quinton & Sam J. Cooley, 2022. "A Feasibility Study of the My Strengths Training for Life™ (MST4Life™) Program for Young People Experiencing Homelessness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3320-:d:769149
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3320/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3320/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Esther Coren & Rosa Hossain & Jordi Pardo Pardo & Mirella MS Veras & Kabita Chakraborty & Holly Harris & Anne J Martin, 2013. "Interventions for Promoting Reintegration and Reducing Harmful Behaviour and Lifestyles in Street‐connected Children and Young People: A Systematic Review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(1), pages 1-171.
    2. Slesnick, Natasha & Zhang, Jing & Brakenhoff, Brittany, 2017. "Personal control and service connection as paths to improved mental health and exiting homelessness among severely marginalized homeless youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 121-127.
    3. Cumming, Jennifer & Whiting, Richard & Parry, Benjamin J. & Clarke, Fiona J. & Holland, Mark J.G. & Cooley, Sam J. & Quinton, Mary L., 2022. "The My Strengths Training for Life™ program: Rationale, logic model, and description of a strengths-based intervention for young people experiencing homelessness," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    4. Parry, Benjamin J. & Quinton, Mary L. & Holland, Mark J.G. & Thompson, Janice L. & Cumming, Jennifer, 2021. "Improving outcomes in young people experiencing homelessness with My Strengths Training for Life™ (MST4Life™): A qualitative realist evaluation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    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. Tobias Schiffler & Ali Kapan & Alina Gansterer & Thomas Pass & Lisa Lehner & Alejandro Gil-Salmeron & Daragh T. McDermott & Igor Grabovac, 2023. "Characteristics and Effectiveness of Co-Designed Mental Health Interventions in Primary Care for People Experiencing Homelessness: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-14, January.

    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. Tidmarsh, Grace & Whiting, Richard & Thompson, Janice L. & Cumming, Jennifer, 2022. "Assessing the fidelity of delivery style of a mental skills training programme for young people experiencing homelessness," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    2. Mary L. Quinton & Grace Tidmarsh & Benjamin J. Parry & Jennifer Cumming, 2022. "A Kirkpatrick Model Process Evaluation of Reactions and Learning from My Strengths Training for Life™," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-15, September.
    3. Emma A. Adams & Jeff Parker & Tony Jablonski & Joanne Kennedy & Fiona Tasker & Desmond Hunter & Katy Denham & Claire Smiles & Cassey Muir & Amy O’Donnell & Emily Widnall & Kate Dotsikas & Eileen Kaner, 2022. "A Qualitative Study Exploring Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Support among Individuals Experiencing Homelessness during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-14, March.
    4. Cumming, Jennifer & Whiting, Richard & Parry, Benjamin J. & Clarke, Fiona J. & Holland, Mark J.G. & Cooley, Sam J. & Quinton, Mary L., 2022. "The My Strengths Training for Life™ program: Rationale, logic model, and description of a strengths-based intervention for young people experiencing homelessness," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    5. Morton, Matthew H. & Kugley, Shannon & Epstein, Richard & Farrell, Anne, 2020. "Interventions for youth homelessness: A systematic review of effectiveness studies," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    6. Stephen Gaetz, 2020. "Making the Prevention of Homelessness a Priority: The Role of Social Innovation," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 79(2), pages 353-381, March.
    7. Jiao, Sunny & Slemon, Allie & Guta, Adrian & Bungay, Vicky, 2022. "Exploring the conceptualization, operationalization, implementation, and measurement of outreach in community settings with hard-to-reach and hidden populations: A scoping review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    8. Parry, Benjamin J. & Quinton, Mary L. & Holland, Mark J.G. & Thompson, Janice L. & Cumming, Jennifer, 2021. "Improving outcomes in young people experiencing homelessness with My Strengths Training for Life™ (MST4Life™): A qualitative realist evaluation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).

    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:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3320-:d:769149. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.