ALCOHOL AND HOMELESS YOUTH--A LONGITUDINAL COMPARISON

描述：拟进行的纵向研究项目将比较

DESCRIPTION: The proposed longitudinal research project will compare the outcomes of homeless adolescents (ages 13-17) to the outcomes of a matched housed group of similar adolescents. The homeless sample will come from throughout the Detroit metropolitan area and will include all subgroups (e.g., "runaways" and "throwaways") to the extent that they exist in the total homeless youth population. The probability sample of 250 homeless adolescents will be sampled from 5 different types of settings: shelters for runaway/homeless youth; outreach programs for street youth and drop-in centers; in-patient and out-patient substance abuse and mental health agencies; the juvenile justice system; and soup kitchens and various street sites. The 250 matched housed adolescents will be matched on gender, age, race, and neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics. Measures will be assessed longitudinally in the following domains: Family and context (e.g., parenting, violence, poverty), psychological processes (e.g., competence, self-efficacy, alcohol expectancies), homelessness and stress, utilization of social services, peer relations (e.g., deviant associations, peer support), and outcomes (e.g., alcohol and drug use/abuse, delinquency, academic achievement, mental health and suicidal proneness, physical health and HIV-risk behaviors). The principal research goals are to: (1) describe a representative sample of homeless adolescents and compare them to matched housed adolescents; (2) investigate the longitudinal consequences of adolescent homelessness; (3) test theoretical models on longitudinal pathways producing vulnerability and resilience in homeless and housed at-risk youth; (4) improve understanding of family dynamics among homeless adolescents (most of whom return home); (5) assess longitudinal differences in outcome patterns for African- vs. European-Americans and for girls vs. boys; and (6) document the effectiveness of various services used by homeless adolescents. Through extensive preliminary research, measures and sampling techniques have been refined and procedures have been developed to ensure a low attrition rate in the project's broad sample.