       Document 0305
 DOCN  M9460305
 TI    Life-styles, adaptive strategies, and sexual behaviors of homeless
       adolescents.
 DT    9404
 AU    Greenblatt M; Robertson MJ; Los Angeles County Olive View-UCLA Medical
       Center, Sylmar 91342.
 SO    Hosp Community Psychiatry. 1993 Dec;44(12):1177-80. Unique Identifier :
       AIDSLINE MED/94178776
 AB    OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to gather information about
       homeless adolescents, a largely invisible and understudied population.
       METHODS: Highly trained interviewers conducted structured face-to-face
       field interviews with 93 homeless adolescents between the ages of 13 and
       17 in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. RESULTS: Seventy-nine percent
       of the sample had experienced more than one homeless episode in their
       lifetime, and almost a fourth reported more than ten episodes. Mean
       length of time homeless was 440 days (median of 201 days). Aggressive
       and violent behaviors, including stealing, destruction of property, and
       physical fights, were common. The sample had a high prevalence of
       several mental disorders, including conduct disorder with aggression,
       major depression, and alcohol and drug abuse. Almost half had attempted
       suicide. Nearly all the adolescents were sexually active; about a third
       had more than ten partners in the previous year. About a third reported
       trading sex for money, food, or drugs. Although most had basic knowledge
       of HIV transmission and used some form of birth control, little more
       than half had used a condom in the most recent sexual encounter, and 18
       percent reported sex with intravenous drug users. CONCLUSIONS: Further
       research on this population is needed, and follow-up contacts in
       particular are essential in developing appropriate and successful
       service programs for them.
 DE    *Adaptation, Psychological  Adolescence  Cross-Sectional Studies
       Family/PSYCHOLOGY  Female  Homeless Persons/*PSYCHOLOGY/STATISTICS &
       NUMER DATA  Human  Incidence  Interview, Psychological  *Life Style  Los
       Angeles/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Male  Mental
       Disorders/DIAGNOSIS/EPIDEMIOLOGY/PSYCHOLOGY  Personality Assessment
       Pregnancy  Runaway Reaction  *Sex Behavior  Social Environment  Support,
       Non-U.S. Gov't  Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

