title: Victimization and posttraumatic stress disorder among homeless adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine street victimization and posttraumatic stress symptoms among urban homeless adolescents and to test whether emotional numbing and avoidance represent distinct posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Structured, private interviews were conducted with homeless adolescents (N = 374) in the Seattle metropolitan area (95% response rate) from 1995 to 1998.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-three percent of street youths were physically and/or sexually victimized after leaving home. Approximately 18% of these youths met research criteria for PTSD. Results from a confirmatory factor analysis suggest that disaggregating symptoms of avoidance from symptoms of emotional numbing provides a better fit of the data than the current DSM-IV model in which these symptoms are combined in one factor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sexual and physical victimization are serious threats for homeless adolescents, and those who are victimized are at risk for PTSD. Results challenge the belief that symptoms of avoidance and numbing represent one unified cluster in this population.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Department of Psychology, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. stangela@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Angela J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Mandy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steiman
authors.forename: Ana Mari
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cauce
authors.forename: Bryan N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Cochran
authors.forename: Les B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Whitbeck
authors.forename: Dan R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Hoyt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D018453:Homeless Youth / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology