Youth Homelessness: Abuse, Gender, and the Process of Adjustment to Life on the Streets

Interviews were conducted with 66 homeless adolescents from Brisbane, Australia. Information was collected regarding incidence of abuse, reasons for leaving home, & lifestyle on the streets. Findings indicated that levels of self-harm were different for abused & non-abused adolescents. Abused adolescents maintained similar levels of self-harm over time, whereas the self-harming behavior in non-abused adolescents increased after six months before returning to previous low levels. (51 refs) (SC)