بهداشت روانی درجات قربانی شدن در میان جوانان بی خانمان

Literature reports high rates of street victimization among homeless youth and recognizes psychiatric symptoms associated with such victimization. Few studies have investigated the existence of victimization classes that differ in type and frequency of victimization and how youth in such classes differ in psychiatric profiles. We used latent class analysis (LCA) to examine whether classes of homeless youth, based on both type and frequency of victimization experiences, differ in rates of meeting diagnostic criteria for major depressive episodes and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of homeless youth (N = 601) from three regions of the United States. Results suggest youth who experience high levels of direct and indirect victimization (high-victimization class) share similarly high rates of depressive episodes and PTSD as youth who experience primarily indirect victimization only (witness class). Rates of meeting criteria for depressive episodes and PTSD were nearly two and three times greater, respectively, among the high victimization and witness classes compared to youth who never or rarely experienced victimization. Findings suggest the need for screening and intervention for homeless youth who report direct and indirect victimization and youth who report indirect victimization only, while prevention efforts may be more relevant for youth who report limited victimization experience.

Street victimization is a common occurrence among homeless youth (Stewart et al., 2004 and Tyler and Beal, 2010). This victimization is correlated with a host of negative consequences for the youth, notably poorer mental health (Whitbeck, Hoyt, Johnson, & Chen, 2007). Specifically, previous research has found that street victimization is associated with substance abuse (Hoyt et al., 1999 and Whitbeck et al., 2000), self-mutilation (Tyler, Whitbeck, Hoyt, & Johnson, 2003), depressive symptoms (Whitbeck et al., 2000), and the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Whitbeck et al., 2007). Despite the pervasiveness of street victimization and its consequences, there is limited research on the existence of subgroups of youth based on the type and frequency of their victimization and how such victimization profiles may lead to differential assessment and treatment protocols for homeless youth. As such, the present study examined psychiatric symptoms of major depressive episode and posttraumatic stress disorder to determine their association with homeless youth victimization profiles.