Adverse Childhood Experiences and Current Health Status in a Community Sample of Runaway and Homeless Youth

Abstract

In recent years, researchers and policymakers have called attention to the importance of child and adolescent trauma for understanding adult health status. The primary aim of this study is to describe the adverse childhood events reported in a sample of runaway and homeless youths and examine their impact on these youths’ current health status. We utilize survey data collected from a community sample of runaway and homeless youths gathered in metro Atlanta. Using the Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (ACEs scale), we examined the relationship between ACEs and several health status measures using OLS and logistic regression. We found that runaway and homeless youths endorsed experiencing many ACEs, especially sexual minority youths, youths who had prior involvement with child-serving social service systems, and youths who were homeless for more than a year. Black/African American youths were slightly less likely to report many adverse childhood experiences. Runaway and homeless youths who reported more ACEs had increased odds of experiencing significant current mental health and/or substance abuse problems. Our study suggests ACEs are an important factor shaping these youths’ health and underscores the potential value of trauma-informed care for youths experiencing homelessness.

Keywords

• homelessness
• youth
• adverse childhood experiences
• mental illness
• substance abuse