No Place Like Home: A Comparison of Street-Based and Home-Based Social Network Ties for Homeless Youth

Purpose: Homeless adolescents have disproportionately high rates of mental health disorders when compared with the general adolescent population in the United States. Psychological disorders are especially problematic in this population as they are associated with higher arrest rates, sexual risk behavior, and suicidality. Although social connection to peers tends to be a protective factor for mental health functioning in the general adolescent population, it is unclear what kinds of social relationships help or hinder the mental health status of homeless youths. The social networks of homeless youth are quite heterogeneous, typically comprised of various types of relationships (including street-based and home-based peers and family). These networks tend to have varying proportions of pro-social and anti-social members, with street networks being filled disproportionately with anti-social peers while home-based networks are disproportionately constituted of pro-social peers. Homeless youth are using social networking technologies, such as email, websites like Facebook and Myspace, and cell phones to maintain their connections to home-based peers. Because it is unclear how peer relationships are associated with the mental health of homeless youth, the goal of this study is to investigate how homeless youths' integration into street networks or continued connection to home-based networks is associated with their mental health status.

Method: “Ego-centric” social network data was collected from a convenience sample of 136 adolescents receiving services at a drop-in agency serving homeless adolescents in California. Social networks were comprised of peers nominated by the respondent and included attributes such as (1) whether the tie was face-to-face in the prior month or a social networking relationship (i.e., via “phone, email, or texting”); (2) whether the tie was formed at home prior to homelessness or on the streets after the youth become homeless; and (3) whether the tie was considered a “friend” or not. Beck's Anxiety and Depression Inventories were used to measure the two primary mental health outcomes. Data analyses included Pearson's r correlations and multivariate ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models.

Results: Multivariate OLS models for depression and anxiety indicate that increasing numbers of face-to-face, street-based peers was significantly associated with increased levels of depressive symptoms (beta=0.30, p<0.05) and anxiety symptoms (beta=0.32, p<0.05). Increasing numbers of social-networking, home-based “friends” was significantly associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms (beta = -1.16, p<0.05).

Implications: It is possible to distinguish positive and negative social influences in homeless youths' social networks. Relationships with home-based friends, which typically are maintained through social networking technology (phone, email, or text messaging), should be facilitated and encouraged as a means to improve psychological functioning and well-being. Policies that facilitate youths' use of social network technology like computers, internet, and cell phones (i.e., in drop-in centers and libraries) should be enacted. As homeless service providers and local government agencies enact policies that support healthy social ties, the poor psychological and life outcomes typically associated with this vulnerable population will be ameliorated.