Homelessness Causes Behavioral, Emotional and Developmental Problems in Children, UCLA Study Finds

A study released by UCLA and RAND Corp. suggests that the number of children who have experienced episodes of homelessness in their lives is higher among African-Americans and impoverished families. The study also underlines the developmental consequences for children who experience homelessness, including the increased likeliness of mental health problems. (View the press release at UCLA’s newsroom or follow them on Twitter.)

Researchers surveyed 5,147 fifth-grade students Birmingham, Ala.; Houston, Texas; and Los Angeles, and found that 7 percent of fifth-graders and their families had experienced homelessness during their lives. For African-American children and those living in poverty, the result was higher, at 11 percent. Lead author Dr. Tumaini R. Coker said that “it was unexpected to see such a high prevalence of family homelessness.”

But perhaps most disturbing is the relationship between homelessness and mental illness. During the course of the study, researchers found that behavioral problems, emotional problems and developmental problems are higher among children experiencing long-term homelessness.

“Ever-homeless children were significantly more likely to have a parent report that they had an emotional, behavioral or developmental problem and to have received mental health–related services,” Coker said. “Our study is not able to say whether an experience of homelessness caused these problems. Further research will help us understand the relationship between the emotional, behavioral and developmental problems and the episodes of homelessness.”

The next stage of research will explore this question by focusing on “the temporal relationships between emotional, developmental and behavioral problems and episodes of homelessness.”

Facts about Homelessness in Los Angeles:

*From the Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty, 2003. Numbers are conceivably higher in 2009.

Homelessness in Los Angeles County is most prevalent among the African-American population:

• Approximately 80,000 people are homeless each night in Los Angeles County.
• South Los Angeles and Metro Los Angeles have the greatest number of homeless people, with diminishing but significant percentages in San Gabriel Valley, South Bay, San Fernando Valley, Antelope Valley, East Los Angeles and the West Side.
• There is a higher percentage of homeless families in South Los Angeles and South Bay, single individuals in the Metro and South Los Angeles regions, and youth in Hollywood.
• Families, typically headed by single mothers, represent a growing percentage of the overall homeless population, with nightly estimates ranging from 20 percent to 43 percent.
• In Los Angeles, the average homeless family has 2 children.
• The average age of homeless adults is around 40 years old. Women tend to be younger than men.
• About half of homeless adults in Los Angeles have graduated from high school.
• Los Angeles appears to have a greater percentage of homeless adults with a college education (10percent) than nationally (2 percent).

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Tags: children, families, homelessness