Abstract
The number of youths who run away or are forced from their homes and become homeless is a growing and significant problem. Many of these young people have left or been forced from dysfunctional or abusive families only to face a life on the streets that can bring a variety of negative outcomes: poverty, substance abuse, physical and sexual assault, pregnancy, injury or illness, HIV infection, psychological and emotional problems, and suicide (Kennedy, 1991; Rotheram-Borus, Rosario, & Koopman, 1991; Rotheram-Borus & McDermott, 1995). Furthermore, their prospects for a healthy and productive adulthood are reduced by the health risks they face and the lack of educational and employment opportunities for homeless youths. Over the last 10 years, researchers have documented the breadth of these problems. The goals of this chapter are: to examine the extent and course of homelessness; to describe the health status of homeless youths; to identify the risk factors and potential strategies for prevention of the consequences of homelessness; to describe a model program for homeless youths; and to identify structural barriers to effective implementation of health care for homeless youths.
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Rotheram-Borus, M.J., Parra, M., Cantwell, C., Gwadz, M., Murphy, D.A. (1996). Runaway and Homeless Youths. In: DiClemente, R.J., Hansen, W.B., Ponton, L.E. (eds) Handbook of Adolescent Health Risk Behavior. Issues in Clinical Child Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0203-0_14
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