"Substance abuse" disorders among runaway and homeless youth.
This study used systematic sampling methods to recruit a sample of 432 homeless youth from both service and natural "hang-out" sampling sites. According to DSM-III criteria, the majority of respondents were classified as having an alcohol and/or illicit "drug abuse" disorder (71%). The results from multivariate logistic regression analyses indicate that cumulative length of time homeless is positively associated with risk for an "abuse" disorder. The implications of these findings and recommendations for service interventions are discussed.
Kipke
M D
MD
Division of Adolescent Medicine, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, CA 90054-0700, USA. mkipke@hsc.usc.edu
Montgomery
S B
SB
Simon
T R
TR
Iverson
E F
EF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D018453:Homeless Youth / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D015994:Incidence; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D012307:Risk Factors; D012419:Runaway Behavior; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012931:Social Environment; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D013287:Illicit Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs