SUBSTANCE USE AMONG RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH IN 3 NATIONAL SAMPLES

Objectives. Standardized estimates of the prevalence of substance use by runaway and homeless youth between the ages of 12 and 21 in various settings were compared with each other and with estimates for youth i n the general population. Methods. Four surveys were used: (1) a natio nally representative survey of runaway and homeless youth residing in federally and nonfederally funded shelters; (2) a multicity survey of street youth; (3) a nationally representative household survey of yout h with and without recent runaway and homeless experiences; and (4) a nationally representative household survey of youth whose previous run away/homeless status was unknown. Results. For almost every substance, substance use prevalence was highest among street youth. Shelter yout h and household youth with recent runaway/homeless experiences reporte d similar rates. In the household surveys, substance use rates were lo west and were generally comparable. Conclusions. Many homeless and run away youth use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs at rates substantiall y higher than nonrunaway and nonhomeless youth, indicating a need for comprehensive and intensive substance abuse prevention and treatment s ervices for these youth.