Topic: RESILIENCE.

Personal Strength of Homeless Adolescents, Living in High – Risk Environment.
Lynn Rew, RNC, EdD, FAAN; Sharon D. Horner, Rn, PhD, CS Health Risk, for homeless individuals are well documented, ranging from acute and chronic respiratory diseases to various psychiatric disorders.1,2 The well-being for homeless youths are attributed by the engagement in high risk behaviors such as the use of alcohol, exchange of sex for money, gifts, the use of drugs. This makes them vulnerable to STD, HIV/AIDS. The preponderance of research on adolescents who are homeless has focused on their deficits and problems behaviours.10-19 However, a few nurse researchers has started to identify strengths in homeless individuals. Various studies was carried out from 3 different study group:
STUDY 1: Focus on group interview with 32 homeless adolescents and individual with 10 of these youth were done as part of a triangulated study of the relationship among sexual abuse, loneliness, connectedness and perceived well- being. 23 Participants mean age was 19.1 years.
SYUDY 2: Focus group interview were conducted with a random sample of 22 homeless adolescents who participated in a large study. The mean age of participants was 16.2 years. The study yields 3 themes: (a) Need for Knowledge, (b) Overcoming barriers, (c) Respectful interventions.24 The findings from the study were used to plan a sexual health intervention appropriate foe homeless adolescents.
STUDY 3: A ground theory theme was done to identify self-care attitudes and behaviors exhibited by homeless adolescents. Individual interviews were conducted with a theoretical sample of 15 youth whose mean age was 18.8 years. The basic social process identified in the study was “caring for one-self in a high- risk environment”. Living on the street is viewed as a bleak, unsafe and unfulfilling existence. However, homeless adolescents have acquired resources that belie the stereotypical view of them. They have acquired knowledge of the environment that makes it safer and more conducive for them. They develop a community of peers for companionship, guidance and acceptance of their life style. Their various experiences with street life, the knowledge they gain over the years, and the unconditional support they receive from their peers enhances their internal motivation for self-improvement that gives them a sense of personal fulfillment. Internal motivators for self-improvement has emerged over time as homeless adolescents experience life on the street, these includes: the sense of freedom, being responsible for others, recognizing the consequences of their decisions, feeling good or satisfied with efforts to be healthier and setting goals for their future. Recognizing consequences of actions was a key motivator for changing behaviors as well as a sense of emotional maturity. Participants described the importance of responsibility for others as key elements in taking better care of themselves many of them chose to be responsible for a dog and others, it is about being peer counselors.
Montgomery19 describes the personal, interpersonal and transpersonal strengths of formerly homeless women who succeeded in building new lives for themselves. Montgomery’s findings are similar to most of these individual youth that was being studied as their internal motivators comes from an individual. Internal strength emanating from a sense of freedom, taking responsibility for pets and friends, feeling good about doing healthy things and setting goals for the future, similar in Montgomery’s study19 of homeless women. The youth in the present study described a care free attitude that to some may seem irresponsible but simply represent an escape from the oppression of a hostile home environment. Conclusions were that encountering different challenges on the street, these youths displayed their strength in taking responsibility not only for their own life and health, but a desire to assume further responsibility for the life and well-being of their new friends and animals as well. Reference List 1. Lynn Rew, RNC, EdD, FAAN; Sharon D. Horner, Rn, PhD, CS 2. Rew, L., & Horner, S.D. (2003). Personal Strengths of Homeless Adolescents Living in a High-Risk Environment. Advances In Nursing Science, 26(2), 90-101. 3. Greenblatt M, Robertson MJ. Life-styles, adaptive strategies, and sexual behaviours of homeless adolescents. Hosp community psychiatry. 1993; 44: 1177-1180. 4. Sachs-Errickson N, Wise E, DeBrody CP, Paniucki HB. Health problems and service utilization 5. Montgomery C. Swimming upstream: the strengths of women who survive homelessness. Adv Nurs Sci. 1994; 16;34-45