title: Predictors of close family relationships over one year among homeless young people.
abstract: Predictors of perceived family bonds were examined among homeless young people who initially left home one year earlier. Newly homeless young people aged 12-20 years who had recently left home were recruited in Los Angeles County, United States (n = 201) and Melbourne, Australia (n = 124) and followed longitudinally at 3, 6, and 12 months (follow-up rates ranging from 72% to 86% overall). These homeless young people varied substantially in their bonds to their families. Family bonds at one year were predicted in multivariate regression analyses by having significantly fewer problem behaviours when leaving home and decreasing rates of problem behaviours over the next year. Having more emotional support and more instrumental financial support were also significantly associated with greater family bonds one year later. These results suggest that efforts to reunite families may be a viable intervention strategy for newly homeless young people.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. nmilburn@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Norweeta G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Milburn
authors.forename: Mary Jane
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rotheram-Borus
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Batterham
authors.forename: Babette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brumback
authors.forename: Doreen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mallett
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005195:Family Relations; D018453:Homeless Youth; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D015141:Los Angeles; D009769:Object Attachment; D014739:Victoria