Prevalence of youth experiencing homelessness and its association with suicidal thoughts and behaviors: Findings from a population-based study
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2024
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Psychiatry Research
Abstract
Although various studies have examined factors associated with suicidal behaviors among youth, few studies
have investigated the association between youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) and suicidal thoughts and
behaviors (STBs) using a large nationally representative sample. The objectives of this study were to investigate
prevalence of YEH and its association with STBs. Data for this study came from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior
Survey. An analytic sample of 17,033 youth aged 14–18 (51.7 % male) was analyzed using binary logistic
regression. Of the 17,033 youth examined, 3 % experienced homelessness during the past 30 days, 21.3 %
experienced suicidal ideation, 17.3 % made a suicide plan, and 10.9 % attempted suicide during the past 12
months. Controlling for demographic characteristics and feeling sad or hopeless, YEH was associated with 2.48
times higher odds of experiencing suicidal ideation (AOR=2.48, p<.001), 2.46 times higher odds of making a
suicide plan (AOR=2.46, p<.001), and 4.38 times higher odds of making a suicide attempt (AOR=4.38, p<.001).
The findings of this study highlight the importance of identifying youth who are at risk of experiencing home lessness to ensure early interventions are put in place to prevent suicidal behaviors.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Suicidal thoughts and behaviors, Youth experiencing homelessness, Health disparities, Adolescents