This study focuses on street-involved youth’s experiences with substance use and how it may impact their access to social services, specifically their access to housing and shelter services. I chose to use narrative interviews when speaking with the youth and it was through the sharing of their narratives that different themes, and recommendations for practice were revealed. During the analysis of the data, critical theories were applied, specifically a post-structural and intersectional framework. The youth who participated in this study shared experiences of their hardships, feelings of low motivation in seeking housing, feelings of self-agency regarding their substance use, and the need for more anti-oppressive approaches within housing and shelter services. These anti-oppressive approaches were described by the youth to include more flexible hours, less restrictive shelter rules and a need for more understanding and empathetic service providers. This research highlights important overall insights on the experiences of these youth and how they make sense of their substance use and life on the street. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Social desirability has been offered as an explanation for observed self-reported levels of substance use within specific populations (i.e., inpatient, court referred) and it has been identified as a possible threat to the validity of self-report prevalence studies, but it has not been tested as a variable that could be manipulated to directly affect reporting. The present study assessed the effects of a simple social desirability manipulation on self-report of substance use. Participants consisted of 389 late adolescents aged 18 to 25 who were enrolled at a large southeastern university. Results indicate that presenting a drug as socially desirable does not lead participants to report higher levels of substance use. Furthermore, participants reported that peer reports, rather than their own, were more often distorted on the present study. The results have implications for enhancing procedures for both clinicians and social scientists who survey youth about substance use.

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