Previously Homeless vs. Non-Homeless Adolescents' Reactions to a Therapeutic Community
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Authors
Rollwagen, Jane E.
Issue Date
2002
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
At any given time, 74% of the approximately 750,000 to 2 million adolescents living on the streets in the United States are abusing substances, while 93% are in need of mental health care (Clements, Gleghorn, Garcia, Katz, & Marx, 1997; Di Paolo, 1999; Unger, Kipke, Simon, Montgomery, & Johnson, 1997; Unger et al., 1998; Whitbeck Hoyt & Ackley, 1997). Therapeutic Communities (or TCs) have been shown to be effective for the drug treatment of adolescents; however, before this study, it was unclear whether the specific needs of homeless youth were being met in these highly structured, peer-driven environments (Jainchill, Hawke, De Leon & Yagelka, 2000). This phenomenological study addresses the issue of what homeless adolescents need for effective drug treatment that is different for non-homeless adolescents through comparative content analysis of twelve qualitative interviews, six of which with adolescents in TCs who had periods of homelessness before they entered treatment and six who had no experience with homelessness. Overall, this study revealed that the format of the Therapeutic Community is an appropriate form of drug treatment for the homeless adolescents in this study, yet there are some specific adaptations that would make it easier for more homeless adolescents to succeed in treatment. These recommendations are (1) extend the probationary period for homeless adolescents to have more time to acclimate to the program, (2) limit the scope of a program to serve only previously homeless adolescents together, (3) increase the amount of recreational activities and outings for homeless adolescents to feel some freedom to come and go, (4) allow dating with adolescents outside the program during the last phase of treatment to allow for safe experimentation, (5) increase the amount of family involvement to encourage healing and to make up for lost time, and (6) TCs need more outside resources, such as individual therapy and medication, to handle the more severe comorbid mental illnesses which homeless adolescents often bring with them to treatment.