Growing up before their time: The early adultification experiences of homeless young people

Schmitz, Rachel M.; Tyler, Kimberly A.

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.02.026

Cited by 25 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Compared to young people in school who live with their families, most street-connected children and youth live without adult supervision and control, making street living associated with some relative sense of freedom and autonomy. Street-connected adolescents are adultified, fending for themselves and taking the key decisions which affect their life [82]. The implication is that family factors related to adolescent selfharm such as parental control over adolescent social relationships, sexual behaviours and earnings from work, strict parental monitoring, punishment by parent, and parent-child conflict may not be strongly identified with self-harm among street-connected adolescents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescent self-harm in Ghana: a qualitative interview-based study of first-hand accounts

Quarshie¹,

Waterman²,

House³

2020

BMC Psychiatry

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Background: Recent prevalence studies suggest that self-harm among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa is as common as it is in high income countries. However, very few qualitative studies exploring first-person accounts of adolescent self-harm are available from sub-Saharan Africa. We sought to explore the experiences and first-person perspectives of Ghanaian adolescents reporting self-harm-for deeper reflections on the interpretive repertoires available in their cultural context for making sense of self-harm in adolescents. Methods: Guided by a semi-structured interview protocol, we interviewed one-to-one 36 adolescents (24 in-school adolescents and 12 street-connected adolescents) on their experiences of self-harm. We applied experiential thematic analysis to the data. Results: Adolescents' description of the background to their self-harm identified powerlessness in the family context and unwanted adultification in the family as key factors leading up to self-harm among both in-school and streetconnected adolescents. Adolescents' explanatory accounts identified the contradictory role of adultification as a protective factor against self-harm among street-connected adolescents. Self-harm among in-school adolescents was identified as a means of "enactment of tabooed emotions and contestations", as a "selfish act and social injury", as "religious transgression", while it was also seen as improving social relations. Conclusions: The first-person accounts of adolescents in this study implicate familial relational problems and interpersonal difficulties as proximally leading to self-harm in adolescents. Self-harm in adolescents is interpreted as an understandable response, and as a strong communicative signal in response to powerlessness and family relationship difficulties. These findings need to be taken into consideration in the planning of services in Ghana and are likely to be generalisable to many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescent self-harm in Ghana: a qualitative interview-based study of first-hand accounts

Quarshie¹,

Waterman²,

House³

2020

BMC Psychiatry

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“…Throughout their lives, RHY experience high rates of abuse, neglect, chronic stress, and various other forms of trauma. These adverse experiences generally start in their early lives, while these young people are residing with their families of origin ( 5 , 6 ). Furthermore, RHY commonly also experience abuse and neglect in the social service systems designed to protect them, and while on the streets ( 5 , 6 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These adverse experiences generally start in their early lives, while these young people are residing with their families of origin ( 5 , 6 ). Furthermore, RHY commonly also experience abuse and neglect in the social service systems designed to protect them, and while on the streets ( 5 , 6 ). These serious negative events and experiences combine with RHY’s lack of involvement in protective systems, such as supportive families, schools, and work environments ( 5 , 7 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, RHY commonly also experience abuse and neglect in the social service systems designed to protect them, and while on the streets ( 5 , 6 ). These serious negative events and experiences combine with RHY’s lack of involvement in protective systems, such as supportive families, schools, and work environments ( 5 , 7 ). This confluence of risk factors, coupled with a lack of buffering resources, then results in elevated rates of relational, health, and behavioral problems ( 5 , 7 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These serious negative events and experiences combine with RHY’s lack of involvement in protective systems, such as supportive families, schools, and work environments ( 5 , 7 ). This confluence of risk factors, coupled with a lack of buffering resources, then results in elevated rates of relational, health, and behavioral problems ( 5 , 7 ). These difficulties, in turn, place RHY at grave risk for unfavorable long-term outcomes as they enter adulthood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Do Programs for Runaway and Homeless Youth Work? A Qualitative Exploration From the Perspectives of Youth Clients in Diverse Settings

Gwadz

Freeman

Kutnick

et al. 2018

Front. Public Health

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Runaway and homeless youth (RHY) comprise a large population of young people who reside outside the control and protection of parents and guardians and who experience numerous traumas and risk factors, but few buffering resources. Specialized settings have developed to serve RHY, but little is known about their effects. The present cross-sectional qualitative descriptive study, grounded in the positive youth development approach and the Youth Program Quality Assessment model, addressed this gap in the literature. From a larger sample of 29 RHY-specific settings across New York State, RHY ages 16–21 from 11 settings were purposively sampled for semi-structured in-depth interviews on their transitions into homelessness, experiences with settings, and unmet needs (N = 37 RHY). Data were analyzed with a theory-driven and inductive systematic content analysis approach. Half of participants (54%) were female; almost half (49%) identified as non-heterosexual; and 42% were African American/Black, 31% were Latino/Hispanic, and 28% were White/other. Results indicated that because RHY are a uniquely challenged population, distrustful of service settings and professional adults and skilled at surviving independently, the population-tailored approaches found in RHY-specific settings are vital to settings’ abilities to effectively engage and serve RHY. We found the following four major themes regarding the positive effects of settings: (1) engaging with an RHY setting was emotionally challenging and frightening, and thus the experiences of safety and services tailored to RHY needs were critical; (2) instrumental support from staff was vital and most effective when received in a context of emotional support; (3) RHY were skilled at survival on the streets, but benefited from socialization into more traditional systems to foster future independent living; and (4) follow-through and aftercare were needed as RHY transitioned out of services. With respect to gaps in settings, RHY highlighted the following: (1) a desire for better management of tension between youths’ needs for structure and wishes for autonomy and (2) lack of RHY input into program governance. This study advances our understanding of RHY, their service needs, and the ways settings meet these needs, as well as remaining gaps. It underscores the vital, life-changing, and even life-saving role these settings play for RHY.

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How Arts-Based Methods Are Used to Support the Resilience and Well-Being of Young People: A Review of the Literature

MacDonald

Baguley

Barton

et al. 2020

Arts-Based Research, Resilience and Well-Being Across the Lifespan

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Growing up before their time: The early adultification experiences of homeless young people

Cited by 25 publications

References 46 publications

Adolescent self-harm in Ghana: a qualitative interview-based study of first-hand accounts

Adolescent self-harm in Ghana: a qualitative interview-based study of first-hand accounts

Do Programs for Runaway and Homeless Youth Work? A Qualitative Exploration From the Perspectives of Youth Clients in Diverse Settings

How Arts-Based Methods Are Used to Support the Resilience and Well-Being of Young People: A Review of the Literature

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