Paul A Toro
Biographic Data
| ID | 3440576 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Paul A Toro |
| GIVEN NAMES | Paul A |
| FAMILY NAME | Toro |
| SIGNATURE | TORO P A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Wayne State University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 50 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 408 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 50 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1981 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 12 |
The prevalence and correlates of running away among adolescents in the United States
Runaway youth may experience a myriad of challenges associated with significant risks to health and well‐being. To examine the prevalence and correlates of running away from home among US youth. Annual US nationally representative samples of 8th and 10th graders between 2005 and 2017 from the Monitoring the Future study. Self‐reports of nationally representative samples of 8th and 10th graders in the US Annual survey data from 8th and 10th grader…
Murray Levine (1928–2020)
Memorializes Murray Levine (1928-2020), a pioneer in community psychology. In 1968 Levine became professor of psychology and director of the clinical and community psychology program at State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo), soon making it one of the top programs in the country. At Buffalo, he shaped community psychology through nu merous books and articles and by mentoring many doctoral-level students and junior faculty. His res…
Contributions of community psychologists to research, theory, intervention, and policy on homelessness since 1980
Homelessness is a social problem that has been growing on the collective minds of people in many developed nations over the last 40 years. Community psychologists have conducted a range of research studies, provided summaries of relevant research on homelessness, and engaged in policy changes relevant to this social problem. Although homelessness exists in rural and suburban areas, it is largely seen as an urban problem and is most visible in urb…
Psychologists’ roles in ending homelessness
Homelessness in the U.S. remains a pernicious social problem despite national coordinated efforts to end it. Psychologists are well positioned to address homelessness through direct service, advocacy, research, and policy work. Results of a survey of psychologist members (n = 197) and student members (n = 209) of the American Psychological Association highlighted activities they engaged in related to helping people who experience housing instabil…
Understanding the Attainment of Stable Housing: A Seven‐year Longitudinal Analysis of Homeless Adolescents
Stable housing provides a solid foundation for youth development, making it an essential topic of study among young homeless people. Although gains have been made in research with adolescents and young adults experiencing homelessness, few longitudinal studies of this population exist, clouding the long‐term housing outcome picture. The current study examined the course and risk factors for homelessness in a sample of 243 homeless adolescents fol…
Social Support and Stress Among Homeless Adults in Southern Poland
The present study investigated the main and stress‐buffering effects of social support in a representative sample of homeless adults ( N = 200) obtained in a 2‐city region of southern Poland. Two different measures of social support were used: the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) and the Social Network Interview (SNI). The findings support research in the United States and other nations, showing that (a) higher levels of reported stre…
Comparing the Characteristics of Homeless Adults in Poland and the United States
This study compared the characteristics of probability samples of homeless adults in Poland (N = 200 from two cities) and the United States (N = 219 from one city), using measures with established reliability and validity in homeless populations. The same measures were used across nations and a systemic translation procedure assured comparability of measurement. The two samples were similar on some measures: In both nations, most homeless adults …
Peer Substance Use and Homelessness Predicting Substance Abuse from Adolescence Through Early Adulthood
Adolescents who experience homelessness are at higher risk for abusing substances, and for being exposed to substance‐using peers. The current study used a longitudinal design to track substance abuse, affiliation with substance‐using peers, and episodes of homelessness among a sample of 223 adolescents who were housed at the baseline data collection and 148 adolescents who were housed at baseline. Participants were interviewed at six waves over …
Reasons for homelessness: An empirical typology
We investigated patterns of situational characteristics and service use among youth residing at metropolitan area homeless shelters. One hundred and three youth provided ratings on a five-point scale comprised of 17 reasons for becoming homeless. Cluster analysis yielded five distinct reason typologies: destitute, threatened, pregnant, resistant, and partnered. Demographic, social, and treatment characteristics were analyzed across groups, and a …
Family, public and private religiousness and psychological well-being over time in at-risk adolescents
Positive effects of different dimensions of religiousness (including private, public and familial) on well-being as well as the stress buffering effects of religiousness have been documented. However, relatively little research has explored how these different facets of religiousness are related to psychological well-being in at-risk adolescents. This study examined family, public and private religiousness and their protective influence on psycho…
Emerging Adulthood and Leaving Foster Care: Settings Associated with Mental Health
The present study examined the role of contextual support on mental health during the transition to adulthood within a vulnerable group, adolescents leaving foster care because of their age. Participants were 265 19- to 23-year-olds who retrospectively reported on 3 main contexts of emerging adulthood: housing security, educational achievement, and employment attainment in the first 2 years after leaving foster care. Mental health measured self-r…
Limiting attrition in longitudinal research on homeless adolescents: What works best
The effectiveness of five tracking strategies (collateral contacts, Internet databases, driver's records, letters, and community visits) used in attempting to locate homeless and housed adolescents 4.5 years after they were first contacted was examined and compared. The study sample comprised 401 adolescents (252 homeless and 149 matched housed) from 8 counties in Southeast Michigan. Homelessness was defined as sleeping in a shelter, at a friend'…
Taking the youth perspective: Assessment of program characteristics that promote positive development in homeless and at-risk youth
Changes in the Composition of the Homeless Population: 1992–2002
This study examines changes in the characteristics of the homeless population before and after a period of extended economic expansion (1992–2002). Data from other sources suggest that, during this 10‐year period, the size of the overall population of homeless persons may have declined slightly, though not significantly, both in the city studied and nationally. In‐depth surveys of representative samples of homeless adults ( N = 249 in 1992–94; N …
Predicting overt and covert antisocial behaviors: Parents, peers, and homelessness
Parental deviance, parental monitoring, and deviant peers were examined as predictors of overt and covert antisocial behaviors. Homeless ( N =231) and housed ( N =143) adolescents were assessed in adolescence and again in early adulthood. Homelessness predicted both types of antisocial behaviors, and effects persisted in young adulthood. Parental deviance predicted only overt antisocial behaviors in adolescence, and was fully mediated by parental…
Pathways to and From Homelessness and Associated Psychosocial Outcomes Among Adolescents Leaving the Foster Care System
Objectives. We evaluated the prevalence and nature of housing problems among adolescents leaving foster care because of their age to provide evidence that can inform public and programmatic policies designed to prevent homelessness. Methods. Housing and psychosocial outcomes in a sample of 265 adolescents who left the foster care system in 2002 and 2003 in a large midwestern metropolitan area were evaluated over a 2-year follow-up period. Analyse…
Parent-adolescent violence and later behavioral health problems among homeless and housed youth
Parent-adolescent violence (i.e., violence between parents and adolescents) is an important pathway to homelessness and predicts poor behavioral health outcomes among youth. However, few studies have examined links between parent violence and outcomes among youth who are homeless. Existing research has also tended to ignore adolescent violence toward parents, despite evidence that mutual violence is common. The current study examines prospective …
The many histories of community psychology: Analyses of current trends and future prospects
Forty years since the seminal Swampscott Conference, the principles of community psychology transcend multiple areas of action and research, as well as international boundaries. The extensive development of community psychology offers an opportunity to examine from where the field has come and where it is going. Yet, a systematic approach to creating a history of community psychology is required to avoid distorting or excluding the voices of its …
Stress, social support, and outcomes in two probability samples of homeless adults
This study investigated the main effects of social support measures and their stress‐buffering effects in two samples of homeless adults ( N s=249 and 219) obtained in the same large county (surrounding Detroit) at different points in time over an 8‐year period (1992–1994 and 2000–2002). The findings suggest that the construct of social support, commonly applied to broad community and student samples, can also be usefully applied to at‐risk group…
Personal lineages and the development of community psychology: 1965 To 2005
The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine and document the role of personal influence in the history of community psychology, and (b) to measure the field's inclusion of traditionally marginalized populations. In addition to presenting visually the genealogy of community psychology, results suggest that people have mattered in the development of the field independently from intellectual influence. Furthermore, community psychology has…
Community violence and externalizing problems: Moderating effects of race and religiosity in emerging adulthood
The present study examined racial differences in the relationship between exposure to community violence and public and private religiosity in predicting externalizing problems among at‐risk emerging adults. Participants were 178 African American and 163 European American emerging adults at risk for exposure to community violence. Exposure to community violence related to more externalizing problems. Greater public religious affiliation buffered …
Homelessness in Europe and the United States: A Comparison of Prevalence and Public Opinion
Random samples of 250–435 adults were interviewed by telephone in five different nations (N= 1,546): Belgium, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the United States. The interview included questions on respondent attitudes, knowledge, and opinions regarding homelessness; respondents' own personal experiences with homelessness and homeless people; and demographic characteristics of the respondents. The highest rates for lifetime literal homelessness were f…
Toward an International Understanding of Homelessness
After a discussion of definitional issues when studying homelessness and a brief review of the existing research literature in the United States, this article provides an overview of the similarities and differences between the research literatures in the United States and other developed nations. Similarities include many shared characteristics of homeless populations (e.g., over-representation of men and those traditionally discriminated agains…
Homelessness in the United States: Assessing Changes in Prevalence and Public Opinion, 1993–2001
A national survey was administered in 1993–1994 ( N = 360) and repeated in 2001 ( N = 435) to assess the prevalence of homelessness as well as attitudes, opinions and knowledge regarding homelessness. No significant changes in prevalence were found, despite a strong US economy during most of the 7–8 year period. Respondents in 2001 had less stereotyped views of homeless people and were more supportive of services, but came to see homelessness as …
Supportive Relationships as a Moderator of the Effects of Parent and Peer Drinking on Adolescent Drinking
The goal of this study was to explore whether supportiveness from a parent or a friend moderated the effects of the supportive person's drinking on the trajectory of adolescent alcohol abuse/dependence symptoms. High‐risk adolescents recruited from shelters and a matched sample of adolescents recruited from the sheltered adolescent's former neighborhood completed assessments at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months. Measures included the Social Network …
Toward an International Understanding of Homelessness
After a discussion of definitional issues when studying homelessness and a brief review of the existing research literature in the United States, this article provides an overview of the similarities and differences between the research literatures in the United States and other developed nations. Similarities include many shared characteristics of homeless populations (e.g., over-representation of men and those traditionally discriminated agains…
Beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge about homelessness: A survey of the general public
Obtained measures of policy-related beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge about homelessness through a telephone survey of a representative sample of 240 persons conducted over nearly a full year in a medium-size northeastern metropolitan area. The study's data were compared to a national poll and to a local study documenting the actual characteristics of homeless persons. The results suggest that citizens are both supportive of and well informed abo…
Pathways to and From Homelessness and Associated Psychosocial Outcomes Among Adolescents Leaving the Foster Care System
Objectives. We evaluated the prevalence and nature of housing problems among adolescents leaving foster care because of their age to provide evidence that can inform public and programmatic policies designed to prevent homelessness. Methods. Housing and psychosocial outcomes in a sample of 265 adolescents who left the foster care system in 2002 and 2003 in a large midwestern metropolitan area were evaluated over a 2-year follow-up period. Analyse…
Homelessness in Europe and the United States: A Comparison of Prevalence and Public Opinion
Random samples of 250–435 adults were interviewed by telephone in five different nations (N= 1,546): Belgium, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the United States. The interview included questions on respondent attitudes, knowledge, and opinions regarding homelessness; respondents' own personal experiences with homelessness and homeless people; and demographic characteristics of the respondents. The highest rates for lifetime literal homelessness were f…
A Comparison of Homeless and Matched Housed Adolescents on Family Environment Variables
This study compared the family environments of a probability sample of 118 homeless adolescents (ages 12–17) residing in shelters to a matched comparison group of 118 housed adolescents using a variety of self-report measures. Even after controlling for potential effects of behavioral disorders (oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and conduct disorder) and alcohol dependence or abuse, homeless adolescents were…
Taking the youth perspective: Assessment of program characteristics that promote positive development in homeless and at-risk youth
Homelessness in the United States: An ecological perspective
Emerging Adulthood and Leaving Foster Care: Settings Associated with Mental Health
The present study examined the role of contextual support on mental health during the transition to adulthood within a vulnerable group, adolescents leaving foster care because of their age. Participants were 265 19- to 23-year-olds who retrospectively reported on 3 main contexts of emerging adulthood: housing security, educational achievement, and employment attainment in the first 2 years after leaving foster care. Mental health measured self-r…
Community Psychology: Where Do We Go from Here
Following a developmental analogy, community psychology may be experiencing a "mid-life crisis" as it enters "middle age." The field needs to determine where to go from here. This paper argues that the field should attempt to expand. Expansion can best be accomplished by celebrating the diversity of orientations within the field (e.g., those emphasizing prevention, empowerment, and the ecological perspective) and the wide range of human problems …
Homelessness in the United States: Assessing Changes in Prevalence and Public Opinion, 1993–2001
A national survey was administered in 1993–1994 ( N = 360) and repeated in 2001 ( N = 435) to assess the prevalence of homelessness as well as attitudes, opinions and knowledge regarding homelessness. No significant changes in prevalence were found, despite a strong US economy during most of the 7–8 year period. Respondents in 2001 had less stereotyped views of homeless people and were more supportive of services, but came to see homelessness as …
Expansion strategies of a mutual help organization
Described a study of the expansion strategies of a successful self- and mutual help organization for persons with mental illness. Resource mobilization and behavior-setting theories were used as conceptual frameworks to guide the investigation. Collaborative methods and a grounded theory approach were used. Archives, reports of contacts outside of the organization, and naturalistic observations were data sources. Of particular interest are the pr…
Let's Ask the Homeless People Themselves: A Needs Assessment Based on a Probability Sample of Adults
A probability sample of 301 homeless adults from Buffalo, NY, was followed over 6 months to document the utilization of a variety of community services, examine services desired, and identify factors associated with service utilization, preference, and satisfaction. The following needs were all rated as at least equally important as the need for affordable housing: safety, education, transportation, medical/dental treatment, and job training/plac…
Giving and Receiving Help: Interpersonal Transactions in Mutual‐Help Meetings and Psychosocial Adjustment of Members
The helping transactions that occur in group meetings have been theorized to be important therapeutic mechanisms within mutual‐help (or self‐help) groups. Hypothesized links between giving and receiving help and psychosocial adjustment were examined in a mutual‐help group for individuals with serious mental illness (GROW). Participants' adjustment was assessed at two time points and helping behaviors were measured with observational coding of wee…
Supportive Relationships as a Moderator of the Effects of Parent and Peer Drinking on Adolescent Drinking
The goal of this study was to explore whether supportiveness from a parent or a friend moderated the effects of the supportive person's drinking on the trajectory of adolescent alcohol abuse/dependence symptoms. High‐risk adolescents recruited from shelters and a matched sample of adolescents recruited from the sheltered adolescent's former neighborhood completed assessments at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months. Measures included the Social Network …
Social problem‐solving skills training: A competence‐building intervention with second‐ to fourth‐grade children
Community violence and externalizing problems: Moderating effects of race and religiosity in emerging adulthood
The present study examined racial differences in the relationship between exposure to community violence and public and private religiosity in predicting externalizing problems among at‐risk emerging adults. Participants were 178 African American and 163 European American emerging adults at risk for exposure to community violence. Exposure to community violence related to more externalizing problems. Greater public religious affiliation buffered …
Charting uncharted terrain: A behavioral observation system for mutual help groups
Describes the development of a behavioral observation system for mutual help meetings and presents evidence supporting its reliability, validity, and utility. The MHOS-BIC (Mutual Help Observation System-Behavioral Interaction Codes) was used by 10 observers to record the sequential flow of group interaction in 527 meetings. Psychometric analyses indicate that the system performed consistently with measurement objectives. Mean kappas for each of …
Peer Substance Use and Homelessness Predicting Substance Abuse from Adolescence Through Early Adulthood
Adolescents who experience homelessness are at higher risk for abusing substances, and for being exposed to substance‐using peers. The current study used a longitudinal design to track substance abuse, affiliation with substance‐using peers, and episodes of homelessness among a sample of 223 adolescents who were housed at the baseline data collection and 148 adolescents who were housed at baseline. Participants were interviewed at six waves over …
Homelessness in the US and Germany: A cross‐national analysis
A public opinion survey was administered by telephone to nationally representative samples in the US and Germany to assess prevalence of homelessness as well as attitudes, opinions and knowledge regarding homelessness. Lower prevalence rates were found in Germany as compared with the US. German respondents demonstrated higher levels of general compassion, greater support for the public rights of the homeless, a greater tendency to view the homele…
Economic predictors of mental health service utilization: A time‐series analysis
This research was designed to understand the relationships between economic indicators and mental health service utilization. Six monthly and three quarterly time-series analyses were done to assess the time-dependent association between three state-level economic indices and two measures of mental health service utilization. Consistent with the existing literature, increases in manufacturing employment were inversely related to both first admiss…
A comparison of natural and professional help
The study investigated the process and effectiveness of three natural and professional groups who commonly provide help to persons experiencing the important critical life event of marital disruption. Subjects were 42 helpers: 14 mental health professionals, 14 divorce lawyers, and 14 leaders of mutual help groups. Analyses, based on variables derived from coded audiotapes of simulated helping interactions and from ratings of helper effectiveness…
Social Support and Stress Among Homeless Adults in Southern Poland
The present study investigated the main and stress‐buffering effects of social support in a representative sample of homeless adults ( N = 200) obtained in a 2‐city region of southern Poland. Two different measures of social support were used: the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) and the Social Network Interview (SNI). The findings support research in the United States and other nations, showing that (a) higher levels of reported stre…
Changes in the Composition of the Homeless Population: 1992–2002
This study examines changes in the characteristics of the homeless population before and after a period of extended economic expansion (1992–2002). Data from other sources suggest that, during this 10‐year period, the size of the overall population of homeless persons may have declined slightly, though not significantly, both in the city studied and nationally. In‐depth surveys of representative samples of homeless adults ( N = 249 in 1992–94; N …
Predicting overt and covert antisocial behaviors: Parents, peers, and homelessness
Parental deviance, parental monitoring, and deviant peers were examined as predictors of overt and covert antisocial behaviors. Homeless ( N =231) and housed ( N =143) adolescents were assessed in adolescence and again in early adulthood. Homelessness predicted both types of antisocial behaviors, and effects persisted in young adulthood. Parental deviance predicted only overt antisocial behaviors in adolescence, and was fully mediated by parental…
Understanding the Attainment of Stable Housing: A Seven‐year Longitudinal Analysis of Homeless Adolescents
Stable housing provides a solid foundation for youth development, making it an essential topic of study among young homeless people. Although gains have been made in research with adolescents and young adults experiencing homelessness, few longitudinal studies of this population exist, clouding the long‐term housing outcome picture. The current study examined the course and risk factors for homelessness in a sample of 243 homeless adolescents fol…
Social problem‐solving skills training: A competence‐building intervention with second‐ to fourth‐grade children
Effects of community placement on chronic mental patients
Patients judged ready for release from a state mental hospital were interviewed to determine their levels of depression and psychosocial functioning. This interview was repeated for 31 of the patients 8 weeks after their release and simultaneously repeated for 31 similar patients who remained in the hospital. In comparison with the matched controls, released patients became less depressed, less socially isolated, and less irritable. No differenti…
Social environmental predictors of children's adjustment in elementary school classrooms
Relationships between qualities of the perceived social environment and children's adjustment were examined in 30 second- to fourth-grade classrooms. Based on Moos' conceptual framework, social environment was assessed from both teachers' and children's perspectives. There was little agreement between the two views. Nine teacher- and peer-rated adjustment variables were used as criterion measures in multiple regression analyses which controlled f…
A comparison of natural and professional help
The study investigated the process and effectiveness of three natural and professional groups who commonly provide help to persons experiencing the important critical life event of marital disruption. Subjects were 42 helpers: 14 mental health professionals, 14 divorce lawyers, and 14 leaders of mutual help groups. Analyses, based on variables derived from coded audiotapes of simulated helping interactions and from ratings of helper effectiveness…
Economic predictors of mental health service utilization: A time‐series analysis
This research was designed to understand the relationships between economic indicators and mental health service utilization. Six monthly and three quarterly time-series analyses were done to assess the time-dependent association between three state-level economic indices and two measures of mental health service utilization. Consistent with the existing literature, increases in manufacturing employment were inversely related to both first admiss…
Natural and professional help: A process analysis
Differences in the helping interactions formed by mental health professionals, divorce lawyers, and mutual help group leaders were examined. Fourteen members of each of these three helper groups (N = 42) met independently with a coached client presenting marital difficulties. Using ratings of ability to ameliorate the personal and emotional problems presented, the 42 helpers were divided (using a median split) into successful and less successful …
Evaluating professionally operated and self‐help programs for the seriously mentally ill
Reviewed a study by Bond et al. (1990) that evaluates assertive community treatment (ACT), an intensive community-based program for the seriously mentally ill. Such programs have been developed at a rapid pace in recent years but lack extensive research support. This randomized study supports the effectiveness of ACT and is a significant contribution to the mixed findings from the existing literature. However, its methodological flaws include (a)…
Homelessness, psychology, and public policy: Introduction to Section Three
Homelessness, psychology, and public policy: Introduction to Section Three
Charting uncharted terrain: A behavioral observation system for mutual help groups
Describes the development of a behavioral observation system for mutual help meetings and presents evidence supporting its reliability, validity, and utility. The MHOS-BIC (Mutual Help Observation System-Behavioral Interaction Codes) was used by 10 observers to record the sequential flow of group interaction in 527 meetings. Psychometric analyses indicate that the system performed consistently with measurement objectives. Mean kappas for each of …
Expansion strategies of a mutual help organization
Described a study of the expansion strategies of a successful self- and mutual help organization for persons with mental illness. Resource mobilization and behavior-setting theories were used as conceptual frameworks to guide the investigation. Collaborative methods and a grounded theory approach were used. Archives, reports of contacts outside of the organization, and naturalistic observations were data sources. Of particular interest are the pr…
Homelessness in the United States: An ecological perspective
Beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge about homelessness: A survey of the general public
Obtained measures of policy-related beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge about homelessness through a telephone survey of a representative sample of 240 persons conducted over nearly a full year in a medium-size northeastern metropolitan area. The study's data were compared to a national poll and to a local study documenting the actual characteristics of homeless persons. The results suggest that citizens are both supportive of and well informed abo…
A Comparison of Homeless and Matched Housed Adolescents on Family Environment Variables
This study compared the family environments of a probability sample of 118 homeless adolescents (ages 12–17) residing in shelters to a matched comparison group of 118 housed adolescents using a variety of self-report measures. Even after controlling for potential effects of behavioral disorders (oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and conduct disorder) and alcohol dependence or abuse, homeless adolescents were…
Giving and Receiving Help: Interpersonal Transactions in Mutual‐Help Meetings and Psychosocial Adjustment of Members
The helping transactions that occur in group meetings have been theorized to be important therapeutic mechanisms within mutual‐help (or self‐help) groups. Hypothesized links between giving and receiving help and psychosocial adjustment were examined in a mutual‐help group for individuals with serious mental illness (GROW). Participants' adjustment was assessed at two time points and helping behaviors were measured with observational coding of wee…
Developing measures to assess social support among homeless and poor people
Two commonly employed measures of social support were assessed in a sample of 144 homeless and poor adults. Both the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) and Social Network Interview (SNI) demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties. Reliability coefficients over a one-week interval ranged from 0.62 to 0.85 for ISEL variables and 0.74 to 0.82 for several key SNI variables. A number of significant predictors of variables derived from o…
Characteristics and experiences of homeless adults: A comparison of single men, single women, and women with children
Based on a broad sample of 228 homeless adults from throughout Buffalo, New York, single homeless women (n = 56), homeless women with children (n = 41), and single homeless men (n = 131) were compared on a wide range of measures with established reliability and validity. Based on total lifetime income from all sources, the poorest of the three groups was the women with children. The two groups of women reported greater psychological distress than…
Homelessness in the United States: Policy considerations
Over the past 15 years, the general public, media, scholars, and policy makers have all become concerned about homelessness as a widespread social problem. The amount of money the federal government spends on housing and the number of scholarly publications on homelessness have grown dramatically during this period. The general public is not only well informed about homelessness but has indicated a willingness to pay higher taxes to help homeless…
Obtaining representative samples of homeless persons: A two-city study
A three-step method for obtaining probability samples of homeless adults across diverse settings over large geographical areas was applied in two cities. Brief surveys (N = 597 in Buffalo + 1,669 in Detroit = 2,266) determined that most homeless people (71–73%) had used a shelter in the prior year and a sizable additional group (18–20%) had used a food program, but not a shelter. Much smaller numbers were found at various in- and out-patient agen…
Advances in research on homelessness: An overview of the special issue
Homelessness continues to be a vexing social problem that concerns many community psychologists and other professionals, as well as the general public. Responding to the obvious need, research has progressed rapidly over the past decade. The eight papers in this Special Issue provide examples of the many methodological and conceptual advances that have been made in the recent research on homelessness. The papers provide policy analysis, develop m…
Mental Disorder Among Homeless and Poor People: A Comparison of Assessment Methods
Let's Ask the Homeless People Themselves: A Needs Assessment Based on a Probability Sample of Adults
A probability sample of 301 homeless adults from Buffalo, NY, was followed over 6 months to document the utilization of a variety of community services, examine services desired, and identify factors associated with service utilization, preference, and satisfaction. The following needs were all rated as at least equally important as the need for affordable housing: safety, education, transportation, medical/dental treatment, and job training/plac…
Homelessness in the US and Germany: A cross‐national analysis
A public opinion survey was administered by telephone to nationally representative samples in the US and Germany to assess prevalence of homelessness as well as attitudes, opinions and knowledge regarding homelessness. Lower prevalence rates were found in Germany as compared with the US. German respondents demonstrated higher levels of general compassion, greater support for the public rights of the homeless, a greater tendency to view the homele…
Homelessness Among Families, Children, and Adolescents: An Ecological–Developmental Perspective
Supportive Relationships as a Moderator of the Effects of Parent and Peer Drinking on Adolescent Drinking
The goal of this study was to explore whether supportiveness from a parent or a friend moderated the effects of the supportive person's drinking on the trajectory of adolescent alcohol abuse/dependence symptoms. High‐risk adolescents recruited from shelters and a matched sample of adolescents recruited from the sheltered adolescent's former neighborhood completed assessments at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months. Measures included the Social Network …
Psychology (44 works) · Homelessness and Social Issues (33 works) · Medicine (22 works) · Sociology (20 works) · Psychiatry (18 works) · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies (17 works) · Clinical Psychology (16 works) · Social Psychology (16 works) · Developmental psychology (14 works) · Health psychology (13 works)