The high-risk environment of homeless young adults: consequences for physical and sexual victimization.
Little is known about how the social environment of homeless youth contributes to their risk and how it varies for different types of victimization. As such, the current study examines the constructs of victimization theories in order to investigate the potential risk for physical and sexual victimization among homeless young adults. Results revealed that running at an earlier age, running more often, sleeping on the street, panhandling, deviant peers associations, and not having a family member in one's network are associated with more physical victimization. Being female, a sexual minority, having an unkempt physical appearance, panhandling, and having friends who traded sex are associated with more sexual victimization. Overall, we find that the constructs differed in their ability to explain sexual versus physical victimization.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Sociology, Lincoln, NE 68588-0324, USA. kim@ktresearch.net
Kimberly A
KA
Tyler
Morgan R
MR
Beal
D000367:Age Factors; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012419:Runaway Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012931:Social Environment; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult