Gender differences in early trauma and high-risk behaviors among street-entrenched youth in British Columbia
-
Sahoo Saddichha
,
Iris Torchalla
Abstract
Objective: This work aimed to evaluate gender differences among the street-entrenched youth in British Columbia in terms of their demographics, experiences of childhood maltreatment, mental health issues, and substance use behaviors.
Materials and methods: Data were derived from the BC Health of the Homeless Study (BCHOHS), carried out in three cities in British Columbia, Canada. Measures included socio-demographic information, the Maudsley Addiction Profile (MAP), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) Plus and the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC)-Health Chapter.
Results: Youth constituted 16.5% (n=82) of the homeless population. Females (55%) outnumbered males and engaged in survival sex more frequently (17.8%; p=0.03). Males had greater substance abuse of alcohol (81.1%) and cannabis (89.2%). Depression (p=0.02) and psychosis (p=0.05) were more common among females, while panic disorder was more common among males (p=0.04). Rates of childhood trauma were similar across genders.
Conclusion: Our findings reflect trends among youth where illicit drug use may be similar among genders while males may report increased alcohol and cannabis use, possibly as a means to self medicate their panic-related symptoms. In any case, this population of street entrenched-youth frequently experiences several significant problems ranging from childhood abuse to high rates of substance abuse and mental illnesses.
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©2014 by De Gruyter
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Cardiovascular disease and prevention
- Reviews
- Future orientation: a construct with implications for adolescent health and wellbeing
- Aortic dilatation and dissection in Turner syndrome: What we know, what we are unclear about and what we should do in clinical practice?
- Original articles
- Gender differences in early trauma and high-risk behaviors among street-entrenched youth in British Columbia
- Health-promoting lifestyle and its predictors among Iranian adolescent girls, 2013
- Health risk behaviors and sexual initiation among in-school adolescents in rural communities in southwestern Nigeria
- Is change in health behavior of Dutch medical students related to change in their ideas on how a physician’s lifestyle influences their patient’s lifestyle?
- Awareness of current recommendations and guidelines regarding strength training for youth
- Non-medical prescription drug and illicit street drug use among young Swiss men and associated mental health issues
- Prevalence of health behaviors and their associated factors among a sample of university students in India
- Quality of life measures and psychiatric symptoms in adolescents with systemic lupus erythematosus and familial Mediterranean fever
- Risk behaviors related to violence and injury among school-going adolescents in Karnataka, Southern India
- Polycystic ovary syndrome in Iranian adolescents
- Relational stressors as predictors for repeat aggressive and self-harming incidents in child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient settings
- Effect of life skills training on physical activity patterns amongst school adolescents in Delhi: a non-randomized interventional study
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Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Cardiovascular disease and prevention
- Reviews
- Future orientation: a construct with implications for adolescent health and wellbeing
- Aortic dilatation and dissection in Turner syndrome: What we know, what we are unclear about and what we should do in clinical practice?
- Original articles
- Gender differences in early trauma and high-risk behaviors among street-entrenched youth in British Columbia
- Health-promoting lifestyle and its predictors among Iranian adolescent girls, 2013
- Health risk behaviors and sexual initiation among in-school adolescents in rural communities in southwestern Nigeria
- Is change in health behavior of Dutch medical students related to change in their ideas on how a physician’s lifestyle influences their patient’s lifestyle?
- Awareness of current recommendations and guidelines regarding strength training for youth
- Non-medical prescription drug and illicit street drug use among young Swiss men and associated mental health issues
- Prevalence of health behaviors and their associated factors among a sample of university students in India
- Quality of life measures and psychiatric symptoms in adolescents with systemic lupus erythematosus and familial Mediterranean fever
- Risk behaviors related to violence and injury among school-going adolescents in Karnataka, Southern India
- Polycystic ovary syndrome in Iranian adolescents
- Relational stressors as predictors for repeat aggressive and self-harming incidents in child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient settings
- Effect of life skills training on physical activity patterns amongst school adolescents in Delhi: a non-randomized interventional study
- Association of oral hygiene habits and food intake with the risk of dental caries among undergraduate university women in Saudi Arabia
