Beyond a bed: Support for positive development for youth residing in emergency shelters

Hillary J. Heinze

Children and Youth Services Review, 2013, vol. 35, issue 2, 278-286

Abstract: This study examines environmental and personal characteristics that support positive development among youth residing in emergency shelters. The Developmental Assets Profile (DAP; Search Institute 2005) was used to measure external and internal developmental assets and adapted to additionally measure agency assets, i.e., external assets specific to the shelter setting. Eighty-two youth completed the DAP and additional measures of psychosocial functioning (distress, life satisfaction, health behavior, program satisfaction, caregiver relationships, and academic functioning) during shelter stay. At admission, youth asset scores were positively correlated with measures of healthy functioning. Youth ratings for agency assets were significantly higher than external asset ratings. Youth completing multiple surveys reported decreases in distress and increases in life satisfaction, health behavior, positive caregiver relationship, and internal assets during shelter stay. Results extend research on developmental assets and underscore the value of opportunities for positive development among homeless youth and the agencies that serve them.

Keywords: Positive youth development; Homeless youth; Homeless youth services; Developmental assets (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740912004008
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:35:y:2013:i:2:p:278-286

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.10.018

Access Statistics for this article

Children and Youth Services Review is currently edited by Duncan Lindsey

More articles in Children and Youth Services Review from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().