Social Determinants of Health and Psychological Capital Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness.
Angela J Preston, Lynn Rew, Jason Spees
PMID 38824395WHAT IT FOUND
Among 148 homeless youth, hope, self-efficacy, resilience and optimism were linked with high school graduation and social connectedness.
Hope and optimism were also linked with HIV testing. These are correlations, not evidence that building strengths improves health.
Key findings
01In 148 youth experiencing homelessness, hope, substance-refusal self-efficacy, safe-sex self-efficacy, resilience and optimism were significantly associated with high school graduation and social connectedness.
02Hope and optimism were significantly associated with accessing health care services for HIV testing.
03Psychological capital strengths were not significantly associated with temporary or seasonal work or living with a friend or relative.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The analysis used only 148 participants from the no-pretest, no-intervention group of a larger study, so associations may differ in the full sample. The participants were recruited from shelters and drop-in centers in two United States cities, so results may not apply to rural areas or other cities. The authors did not examine differences by region, gender or sexual orientation, so patterns may differ across groups. The study did not test whether psychological capital interventions improve health behaviours. As a secondary analysis, the measures and recruitment were fixed by the original study, and some items were too broad to separate education or employment details. The authors state that the associations identified do not confer causation.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The work was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development/National Institutes of Health under Grant R01 HD083576.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that building hope, self-efficacy, resilience or optimism will improve education, HIV testing or social connectedness. The paper analysed a subsample and states that the associations do not confer causation.