Relationship of psychosocial adversity to depressive symptoms and self-harm in young homeless people

Abstract

An increased incidence of psychiatric disorders has been reported in homeless young people. These disorders are often related to their childhood experience of trauma, although less is known about how secondary traumatic experiences while being homeless affect psychopathology. The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between life adversities – living on the street, physical and sexual abuse (during both childhood and young adult life) and substance misuse – and depressive symptoms and self-harm among homeless young people.