HOMELESS YOUTH AND THEIR EXPOSURE TO AND INVOLVEMENT IN VIOLENCE WHILE LIVING ON THE STREETS

Purpose: The purpose of this research were to explore homeless youths' histories of exposure to violence, perpetration of violence, and fear of violent victimization, and to examine the extent to which these co nstructs are associated with demographic variables. Methods: A sample of 432 youth (between 13 and 23 years old) who were homeless or at imm inent risk for homelessness were sampled from both service and street sites. The percentage of youth who reported exposure to each type of v iolence was calculated. Multiple regression analyses were used to exam ine differences in the risk of exposure to violence across gender, eth nicity, age, and length of time homeless. Results: Respondents reporte d a high rate of exposure to violence. Female respondents reported lev els of exposure to violence that were as high as those reported by mal es. Females were more likely to report having been sexually assaulted and fearing victimization, and tended to be less likely to report perp etrating violence. With a few exceptions, ethnic identity was not a si gnificant predictor of exposure to violence or fear of victimization. Age tended to be inversely associated with risk of exposure to violenc e. Length of time homeless was not associated with fear of victimizati on. Conclusions: Homeless youth are at high risk for exposure to a var iety of forms violence as both witnesses and victims. The overall rate s of exposure to violence and patterns of association with demographic variables are significantly higher than those reported in national sa mples of adolescents. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1997.