Youth experiencing homelessness at risk for suicide: psychosocial risk factors and service use patterns
Abstract Objective Young adults experiencing homelessness often suffer from adverse mental health outcomes and suicide is a leading cause of death. The objective of this study is to examine service use and psychosocial risk factors for suicide, in relation to suicide risk assessment, to inform strat...
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BMC
2025-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21212-2 |
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| author | Laura J. Chavez Kelly J. Kelleher Alicia Bunger Xin Feng Margaret Fitzpatrick Jodi L. Ford Allen B. Mallory Arielle H. Sheftall Tansel Yilmazer Alexis Pizzulo Jesse L. Hawke Mattina A. Davenport Natasha Slesnick |
| author_facet | Laura J. Chavez Kelly J. Kelleher Alicia Bunger Xin Feng Margaret Fitzpatrick Jodi L. Ford Allen B. Mallory Arielle H. Sheftall Tansel Yilmazer Alexis Pizzulo Jesse L. Hawke Mattina A. Davenport Natasha Slesnick |
| author_sort | Laura J. Chavez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Objective Young adults experiencing homelessness often suffer from adverse mental health outcomes and suicide is a leading cause of death. The objective of this study is to examine service use and psychosocial risk factors for suicide, in relation to suicide risk assessment, to inform strategies for engaging youth in suicide prevention services. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of youth enrolled in a supportive housing randomized clinical trial. We categorized suicide risk into three groups (low-, moderate-, and high-risk) based on suicidal ideation and past-year suicide attempt. The service use patterns across these groups are described, as well as other psychosocial risk factors (psychiatric comorbidity, depressive symptoms, substance use, and sleep impairment). Results Among 193 enrolled youth, 126 (65.3%), 32 (16.6%), and 35 (18.1%) were categorized as low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk for suicide, respectively. A high proportion of youth reported ever having been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder (57.5%) and cannabis was the most heavily used substance. However, only a minority of youth received medical care or mental health services in the past 3 months, 40% and 34%, respectively. Even fewer youth received mental/emotional health services in the past 3 months (15%), though use was highest among the high-risk group (34%). Conclusion Understanding the needs of youth experiencing homelessness who are at risk for suicide is critical to developing interventions to alleviate their risk for suicide. Given that the use of medical and mental health care is low among this population, more active outreach strategies may be warranted to deliver prevention interventions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-df474eba363249bd807a7efd57b7d113 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-df474eba363249bd807a7efd57b7d1132025-02-09T12:58:09ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-02-012511910.1186/s12889-024-21212-2Youth experiencing homelessness at risk for suicide: psychosocial risk factors and service use patternsLaura J. Chavez0Kelly J. Kelleher1Alicia Bunger2Xin Feng3Margaret Fitzpatrick4Jodi L. Ford5Allen B. Mallory6Arielle H. Sheftall7Tansel Yilmazer8Alexis Pizzulo9Jesse L. Hawke10Mattina A. Davenport11Natasha Slesnick12Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research, Nationwide Children’s HospitalCenter for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research, Nationwide Children’s HospitalDivision of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State UniversityCollege of Education and Human Ecology, Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State UniversityCollege of Nursing, The Ohio State UniversityCollege of Nursing, The Ohio State UniversityCollege of Education and Human Ecology, Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical CenterCollege of Education and Human Ecology, Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State UniversityCollege of Education and Human Ecology, Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State UniversityCenter for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research, Nationwide Children’s HospitalCenter for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research, Nationwide Children’s HospitalCollege of Education and Human Ecology, Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State UniversityAbstract Objective Young adults experiencing homelessness often suffer from adverse mental health outcomes and suicide is a leading cause of death. The objective of this study is to examine service use and psychosocial risk factors for suicide, in relation to suicide risk assessment, to inform strategies for engaging youth in suicide prevention services. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of youth enrolled in a supportive housing randomized clinical trial. We categorized suicide risk into three groups (low-, moderate-, and high-risk) based on suicidal ideation and past-year suicide attempt. The service use patterns across these groups are described, as well as other psychosocial risk factors (psychiatric comorbidity, depressive symptoms, substance use, and sleep impairment). Results Among 193 enrolled youth, 126 (65.3%), 32 (16.6%), and 35 (18.1%) were categorized as low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk for suicide, respectively. A high proportion of youth reported ever having been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder (57.5%) and cannabis was the most heavily used substance. However, only a minority of youth received medical care or mental health services in the past 3 months, 40% and 34%, respectively. Even fewer youth received mental/emotional health services in the past 3 months (15%), though use was highest among the high-risk group (34%). Conclusion Understanding the needs of youth experiencing homelessness who are at risk for suicide is critical to developing interventions to alleviate their risk for suicide. Given that the use of medical and mental health care is low among this population, more active outreach strategies may be warranted to deliver prevention interventions.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21212-2HomelessnessYoung adultsSuicide riskMental healthSubstance useAccess |
| spellingShingle | Laura J. Chavez Kelly J. Kelleher Alicia Bunger Xin Feng Margaret Fitzpatrick Jodi L. Ford Allen B. Mallory Arielle H. Sheftall Tansel Yilmazer Alexis Pizzulo Jesse L. Hawke Mattina A. Davenport Natasha Slesnick Youth experiencing homelessness at risk for suicide: psychosocial risk factors and service use patterns BMC Public Health Homelessness Young adults Suicide risk Mental health Substance use Access |
| title | Youth experiencing homelessness at risk for suicide: psychosocial risk factors and service use patterns |
| title_full | Youth experiencing homelessness at risk for suicide: psychosocial risk factors and service use patterns |
| title_fullStr | Youth experiencing homelessness at risk for suicide: psychosocial risk factors and service use patterns |
| title_full_unstemmed | Youth experiencing homelessness at risk for suicide: psychosocial risk factors and service use patterns |
| title_short | Youth experiencing homelessness at risk for suicide: psychosocial risk factors and service use patterns |
| title_sort | youth experiencing homelessness at risk for suicide psychosocial risk factors and service use patterns |
| topic | Homelessness Young adults Suicide risk Mental health Substance use Access |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21212-2 |
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