Summary:

This study highlights the comparison between homeless young children and children from low-income families, and most of the results were much more extreme in favor of homeless children. For example, children living on the streets experienced more behavioural and mental problems that needed immediate attention in comparison to those living under a roof. Homeless children don’t have access to treatment plans for these issues, and mental health checks are becoming a greater necessity for this group.

Keywords: homelessness, poverty, mental health. Family

 

Cleverley, Kristin, and Sean A. Kidd. "Resilience and Suicidality among Homeless Youth." Journal of Adolescence, vol. 34, no. 5, 2010;2011;, pp. 1049-1054.

Summary:

Kristen Cleverly explores the influence “street smarts” has on homeless children and makes a comparison between their level of resilience and the degree of suicidal idealism. This group is heavily influenced by high rates of difficult family histories, criminal involvement, mental and physical illness, and a high rate of mortality. Even when accounting for resiliency, high psychological distress almost always led to high suicidal idealism. Youth living on the streets of the city constantly lose their will to live as the days passed by, severely damaging their own psychological growth while being plagued with mental illnesses and thoughts of suicide.  

Keywords: youth, homelessness, psychological

 

Garcia, Aileen S., et al. "Influence of Child Behavioral Problems and Parenting Stress on Parent–Child Conflict among Low-Income Families: The Moderating Role of Maternal Nativity." Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, vol. 63, no. 3, 2017, pp. 311-339.

Summary: Parenting will always be stressful for most young adults, however the stress caused creates a ripple effect, finally coming to a halt on the child. In Garcia’s study, parents that are suffering from financial stress had a greater tendency to have conflicts with their own children, this parent-child conflict led to notable behavioural problems in preschoolers. This common experience of stress affected both native and immigrant parents, the primary factor of the stress being rooted to financial struggles in low-income households. 

Keywords: poverty, children, stress, income

 

Hamilton-Wright, Sarah, et al. "Gambling in the Landscape of Adversity in Youth: Reflections from Men Who Live with Poverty and Homelessness." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 13, no. 9, 2016, pp. 854.

Summary:

There is a strong connection between the gambling addiction in adults with childhood experiences of trauma and adversity, children in families with these problems tended to reciprocate as they grew older. This aligned with other major issues within the family dynamic such as homelessness, substance abuse, and criminality. Gambling for individuals raised under these circumstances becomes a necessity, living in poverty at a young age pushes them to yearn for financial stability as they grow older by any means necessary. 

Keywords: children, poverty, gambling

 

Quirouette, Marianne, et al. "‘Conflict with the Law’: Regulation & Homeless Youth Trajectories Toward Stability." Canadian Journal of Law and Society, vol. 31, no. 3, 2016, pp. 383-404.

Summary: Homeless youth, compared to their housed counterparts, have a higher experience with the law and figures of authority. Furthermore, the greater the experiences these individuals faced with the law, ranging from police stops to large scale crimes, then the higher the odds of persistent homelessness. Minority groups and individuals with any mental or physical problems were more at risk of facing the law, and as a result, more at risk to continue living their current lives. 

Keywords: Homelessness, poverty, youth, crime