Relationships of sexual abuse, connectedness, and loneliness to perceived well-being in homeless youth.
OBJECTIVE
To describe respondents' perceptions of connectedness, loneliness, and well-being; and to explore relationships among these variables.


METHODS
Survey data from 96 participants, focus group interviews with 32 participants, and 10 individual interviews were analyzed.


RESULTS
Sixty percent of the sample reported sexual abuse, which was significantly related to loneliness and inversely related to connectedness and perceived well-being. Subjects felt lonely and disconnected. They perceived their well-being in terms of current health status.


CONCLUSIONS
High rates of sexual abuse, lack of connectedness, and loneliness may help to explain poor perceived well-being in homeless youth.
Rew
Lynn
L
School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, USA. ellerew@mail.utexas.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006293:Health Promotion; D006304:Health Status; D018453:Homeless Youth; D006801:Humans; D008132:Loneliness; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012934:Social Isolation