The overall purpose of this study was to examine the impact of psychological well-being on mental health and behavioral outcomes among transitioning homeless youth in a New York City shelter. The main objective was to elucidate the relationship between psychological health, distress, and behavioral program outcomes. Participants were 116 formerly homeless young adults enrolled in the transitional living Rights of Passage program at Covenant House New York; a homeless youth shelter providing both crisis services and residential transitional living programs to young adults age 18 – 21. The correlates of psychological distress and program outcome were studied in relation to psychological well-being as measured by the Scales of Psychological Well-Being (SPWB) identifying 6 core components of positive psychological functioning including Autonomy, Environmental Mastery, Positive Relationships with Others, Personal Growth, Purpose in Life, and Self-Acceptance. Markers of psychological distress were measured by using the PHQ-9 (Depression), GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety), PTSD Checklist - Civilian Version (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder), GHQ-12 (General Distress), while behavioral outcome data (i.e., behavioral infractions/disciplinary incidents, employment, discharge disposition, education advancement, and total savings) were assessed via the Efforts to Outcome (ETO) online software database maintained by Covenant House New York. Results of Pearson r correlations demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between psychological well-being and psychopathology. Stepwise regression analyses also showed that certain components of psychological well-being accounted for a significant portion of the variance over time in anxiety, PTSD, and general distress above and beyond initial levels of psychopathology. Additionally, Pearson r correlations and ANOVA analyses demonstrated significant associations with psychological well-being and program outcome including behavioral infractions (verbal conflicts, and non-compliance infractions), time unemployed, total savings, and G.E.D. obtainment. In contrast, psychopathology demonstrated significant associations with only behavioral infractions (verbal conflicts) and total savings. Findings suggest that psychological well-being is differentially associated with program outcome from psychopathology and that interventions aimed at homeless youth may benefit from incorporation of strengths-based, positive psychological approaches.

Homeless youth are typically defined as a group of adolescents and young adults (ages 12-24) who do not have stable dwellings, but instead live on the streets, in shelters or abandoned buildings, or in other unstable situations (e.g., doubling up with friends). Given the myriad of hardships, stressors, and marginalization faced by youth as they navigate life on the streets, it is encouraging that researchers have begun examining well-being among youth experiencing homelessness. However, the few studies examining well-being among homeless youth have produced inconsistent results. Furthermore, little is known about the components of well-being that are both relevant to and valued by homeless youth, as well as which factors predict differences in well-being among youth. This study examined psychological well-being and its associations with demographic characteristics (race, gender, and sexual orientation), intrapersonal factors (mental health, optimism, and self-esteem), and social-contextual factors (social support, sense of community, and empowerment) among 100 homeless youth utilizing services in Portland, Oregon. Quantitative results indicated that the intrapersonal and social-contextual variables were all significantly associated with psychological well-being among homeless youth at the bivariate level. However, in a full hierarchical regression model containing all study variables, only self-esteem and psychological distress were significant predictors of well-being. Thematic analysis of qualitative data revealed 11 categories of factors that impact youth's well-being, including Self Care, Social Support, and Personal Outlook. Collectively, findings have practical implications for program development at homeless youth service centers while also informing future research in this area.