Life Skill Development and its Impact on Perceived Stress, Employment and Education Pursuits: A Study of Young Adults with a History of Homelessness and Trauma

Abstract

An occupational therapy educational training group for young adults in permanent supported housing was developed, implemented and evaluated with pre-post outcome measures including Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) and the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10). The study explored stress levels and employment-related goals of individuals who have aged out of the foster care system and may also have had a history of chronic homelessness and trauma. Results demonstrated a trend towards significance in perceived stress 9Z=1.689, p=0.91) with 7 of 8 participants surpassing the expected outcome according to GAS. Limitations included a small convenience sample (n=8), inconsistent attendance and use of self-report measures.