Pathways In and Out of Substance Use Among Homeless-Emerging Adults

Abstract

Although high rates of alcohol and drug use have been found among homeless young people, less is known about who is responsible for their initiation, the reasons for their continued use, and why some individuals eventually transition out of using whereas others do not. Based on qualitative interviews with 40 homeless individuals 19 to 21 years of age in the Midwest, results revealed that the majority of respondents were initiated into substance use by friends and acquaintances, although family also played a significant role. Almost one half of respondents reported using substances to cope with early family abuse, stress, and life on the streets. Additionally, the majority indicated that they had no intentions of quitting. Substance misuse that is left untreated may lead to chemical dependency among homeless emerging adults and may contribute to long-term homelessness.

The Effect of Victimization, Mental Health, and Protective Factors on Crime and Illicit Drug Use Among Homeless Young Adults

“…In addition, street victimization is likely to be viewed as unjust, leading the young adult to react to it in a criminal fashion. Also, some young adults may turn to drug use as a way to cope with early childhood trauma, being a victim of partner violence (Baron, 1997;Tyler & Cauce, 2002;Tyler et al, 2009), and/or to relieve some of the daily stresses of street life (Thompson, Rew, Barczyk, McCoy, & Mi-Sedhi, 2009;Tyler & Johnson, 2006). Consistent with GST, street victimization experiences are positively correlated with illicit behaviors.…”

Social network characteristics and risky sexual and drug related behaviors among homeless young adults

“…If friends are using alcohol or drugs, it is likely that the group norms are consistent with such behaviors and the homeless youth has more opportunities for substance use through modeling of other members (Bauman and Ennett, 1996). Research also finds that homeless youth who experience coercion from their peers to use alcohol or drugs often give into the pressure (Tyler and Johnson, 2006a). Therefore, strong group norms about using substances may be evident by the fact that many youth are using alcohol and drugs with their group members.…”

“…For example, Kipke et al (1996) found that one quarter of their sample of homeless young people were first introduced to substance usage by a family member. Research has also linked substance use among homeless and runaway youth to childhood abuse (McMorris et al, 2002;Chen et al, 2004) and some homeless young adults explicitly report using substances to cope with early child abuse (Tyler and Johnson, 2006a).…”

“…Additionally, individuals often conform to the attitudes and behaviors of their social networks, despite the risks inherent in the activities, in order to avoid possible sanctions for non-conformity imposed by members of the group (Fisher, 1988). Thus, homeless youth may be pressured or coerced by group members to engage in behavior (e.g., illicit drug use) that they otherwise would not (Tyler and Johnson, 2006a). Research also finds that homeless youth who use illicit drugs and engage in risky sexual practices generally have friends who engage in similar behaviors (Kipke et al, 1998).…”

“…Social networks are comprised of people with whom homeless young people associate and spend most of their time. If homeless young adults have networks that are comprised of members who coerce them to trade sex (Tyler and Johnson, 2006b) or who pressure them to use drugs (Tyler and Johnson, 2006a), then homeless young adults may be more likely to participate in these risky behaviors. In contrast, if homeless youth have social networks that provide protective functions (Hagan and McCarthy, 1997;Ennett et al, 1999a;Rice et al, 2007), then they may be less likely to engage in risky behaviors.…”