Homeless youth and parenting

Abstract

This contribution investigates the family factors associated with youngsters becoming homeless. Although not all, it turns out that many homeless youngsters come from multi-problem families. Parents of homeless youth often show problematic psychosocial characteristics, such as alcohol abuse, divorce at a young age of the child, and unemployment. In many families of homeless youngsters high incidences of conflicts between family members exist, while the rearing style of many parents is characterized by affectionless control, with the parents often applying harsh punishment techniques, like physical punishment ending in physical injuries. The fact that homelessness is a result of a prolonged process of multiple negative family experiences underscores the need for a comprehensive preventive family approach.