"I'm losing everything all over again": Responses from youth experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lynn Rew, Olivia Yeargain, Clara Peretz and 1 others
PMID 34861960WHAT IT FOUND
Youth experiencing homelessness described losing jobs, mental stability, access to services, relationships, and control over their lives during the pandemic.
Sixteen participants reported financial instability, and 13 participants reported worsened mental health.
Key findings
01Sixteen participants (80%) reported difficulties related to financial instability.
02Thirteen participants (65%) reported exacerbation of mental health issues, including increased anxiety and depression.
03Twelve participants (60%) reported that the pandemic negatively impacted their ability to utilize previous resources.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 20 youth from one city were interviewed, and they volunteered from a prior study, so their reports may not represent all youth experiencing homelessness. The sample included only those who remained in the city during shelter-in-place orders. Many responses came through Facebook messenger; some participants did not answer all questions, and they responded at different times early in the pandemic. The researchers could not contact participants again to check the final interpretation. This is qualitative work, so it describes reported experiences and cannot show cause or test whether any treatment worked.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institutes of Health under R01 HD083576, awarded to the first author. The supplied text does not report author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 80% and 65% counts as population rates or as proof that any intervention worked. They are reports from 20 purposively sampled youth in one city, and the paper did not test an intervention.