Thesis (PhD)-Open University. BLDSC no. DXN119968.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2007. / Title from file title page. Sarah L. Cook, committee chair; Jim Emshoff, Lisa Armistead, Julia Perilla, committee members. Electronic text (122 p. : ill.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Nov. 14, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-107).

The purpose of this study was to conduct a needs assessment of homeless children and explore possible solutions to better meet the needs of homeless children and reduce the risks of intergenerational homelessness in San Bernardino County.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2000 / Refer to document

Single mothers with young children living in poverty often experience various disadvantages, especially when they have mental health issues. They are a vulnerable population and face challenges such as poverty, homelessness, and low paying jobs. Homeless mothers and their children often have difficulty in finding means to survive and obtaining basic needs. The purpose of this study was to explore the quality and availability of mental health resources to homeless mother and their children. Ten participants were chosen outside of a homeless shelter in the City of Riverside. The study was a qualitative design conducted through face-to-face interviews. This study found that most participants in the study have utilized mental health services in their life and most found the services adequate. However, when asked what services they needed the most, more than half of the participants stated needing housing, employment, and food. Less than half of the participants stated needing more mental health services like therapy or rehabilitation services. The study also revealed that half of the participants utilized mental health services for their children and another half have not. With regards to working with a social worker, only four of the ten participants have done so and said they were helpful. Although one stated it was a failure, the remaining five have never worked with a social worker or cannot recall doing so. As a social worker, it can be recommended to actively provide housing and employment resources for their clients that are in need of basic necessities to survive. Another recommendation is for the social worker to acquire their clients’ perception of their needs and working from there to obtain those needs.

The aim of this work was to analyze the influence of neighbors and parents on children’s antisocial behavior. The participants were 96 homeless children and 96 students. The instruments applied were the Scale of Antisocial Behavior (Castell, Frías, Corral & Sotomayor, 2000) and the Scales of Addictive Behavior (Reich & Herjanic, 1989; Vazsonyi, Pickering, Junger & Hessing, 2001). First univariate statistics were obtained, after a model was tested using structural equations modeling. The data showed that children’s antisocial and addictive behavior was affected by father’s antisocial behavior, mother’s addictive behavior and neighborhood. For homeless children their antisocial behavior was influenced directly by their addictive behavior and father’s antisocial behavior. For students, neighborhood, father’s antisocial behavior and children’s addictive behavior influenced on children’s antisocial behavior. In both groups the neighborhood and mother’s addictive behavior influenced directly children’s addictive behavior. / Se analizó la influencia del vecindario y la familia en el comportamiento antisocial de menores. Los participantes fueron 192 menores, 96 con antecedentes de indigencia y 96 escolares no indigentes. Se administraron la Escala de Comportamiento Antisocial (Castell,Frías, Corral & Sotomayor, 2000) y las Escalas de Comportamiento Adictivo (Reich & Herjanic, 1989; Vazsonyi, Pickering, Junger & Hessing, 2001). Se calcularon frecuencias de medias, desviaciones estándar y modelamiento estructural. Los resultados mostraron que la conducta antisocial y adictiva estaba influenciada por el comportamiento antisocial del padre, el comportamiento adictivo de la madre y el vecindario. Para los menores indigentes, el comportamiento antisocial estaba directamente influido por su comportamiento adictivo y el comportamiento antisocial del padre. Para el grupo de estudiantes el comportamiento antisocial estaba influido por el vecindario, por su comportamiento adictivo y por el comportamiento antisocial del padre. Para ambos grupos el vecindario y el comportamiento adictivo de la madre influyeron directamente en el comportamiento adictivo de los mismos.

M.A. / The street child phenomenon is a world-wide phenomenon. However ; it is perceived to be most prominent in third world countries as compared to first world countries. The main issue is that children are forced to leave the comfort or discomfort of their homes to live on the street. This results from a number of factors. According to Schurink and Tiba in Schurink (1993:10), an extensive literature study revealed the following key factors: rapid urbanization, high rates of unemployment, poverty, inadequate housing, maladjustment to family disintegration. According to Maphatane (1993:1), today's children and youngsters face many problems and pressures arising from the changing structure of the family and the community and the breaking down of traditional systems of support and preparations for adult life. The emergence of the street child phenomenon results from poor soci-economic and political conditions. For instance according to Agnelli , as cited by Schurink (1993:13), the roots of the present clay street child phenomenon seem to lie in the historical context of economic conditions and in national and international policies accepted by various countries.

This study examined the association between traumatic exposure and mental health outcomes in sheltered homeless children. Also investigated was the moderating role of perceived social support in the pathway between traumatic exposure and emotional distress. Trauma exposure was conceptualized in two ways: first through lifetime exposures to abuse, neglect, negative peers, community and interpersonal violence, and the loss of significant attachment figures, and; second through highly stressful events that occur s pecifically in the context of homelessness. Mental health outcomes included symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger, aggression and posttraumatic stress. Perceived social support was measured through inventories of relationships with mothers, fathers, siblings and best friends. The sample consisted of 81 children between the ages of 8-16 and one of their parents. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses found that lifetime trauma exposure and homeless specific complex stress independently accounted for a significant amount of the variance in symptoms of depression, anxiety, aggression, and posttraumatic stress. Lifetime trauma alone accounted for the variance in anger and anxiety related symptomatology. Perceived social support was found to have no influence on mental health morbidity. The study consisted of a novel approach to understanding the psychological experiences of sheltered homeless children. These findings inform the design of clinical interventions for this vulnerable population of children and may have important public policy implications.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Central Florida, 2009. / Adviser: James D. Wright. Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-78).