Homelessness can greatly affect many aspects of one’s life but has particularly detrimental effects on mental health. A study by Vostanis et al. states that “homeless children are significantly more likely than the general population to have...higher rates of mental health problems.” Not knowing where you will get your next meal from, constantly having to move from one location to another, experiencing poor living conditions, being separated from your family, and a lack of mental health support for homeless students in schools are all examples of how homelessness can cause stress. These can ultimately lead to deleterious effects on mental health.
A study released by UCLA at the end of the 2018-19 school year estimated that approximately 4.4% of K-12 students in California were homeless. Already, this number was a gross underestimate. As COVID-19 continues to deepen families’ financial crises, this number is expected to spike upwards. Subsequently, that’s tens of thousands more children who are put at higher risk of facing social isolation, substance abuse, inadequate sleep quality, and a plethora of other mental health disorders. And it’s crucial to note the inextricable influences each one of these has on each other. For those who were previously facing adverse situations, the brewing catastrophe will only be compounding trauma. Compounding trauma sustained during childhood has been linked to several mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and the potential for more trauma. Let’s discuss these conditions:
Anxiety
Anxiety is rooted in biological and/or environmental causes, and there is major interplay between these factors. Experiencing immense stress and trauma is conducive for development of anxiety. Thus, for children facing homelessness and weathering new sets of challenges daily, with very little stability in any/all aspects of their lives, there is an increased risk of them developing anxiety. For a handful of homeless children, symptoms of anxiety linger long-term and may become debilitating.
Depression
Depression is yet another condition which is involved in a vicious cycle with anxiety. Housing instability compounds the pre-existing stressors in these children's lives, inducing anxiety, and therefore leading to intense feelings of sadness and loneliness. The depression feeds back into anxiety, and the cycle continues. According to the Institute of Children Poverty and Homelessness, in 2018, over 1 in 5 homeless students have turned to attempting suicide in an effort to break this cycle, this statistic was 3-6X the rate of attempt by housing secure students.
Trauma
On top of the forced abrupt loss of a home, community, and belongings, homelessness put families in a more vulnerable position of facing multiple forms of trauma -- physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, violence, and re-traumatization. Certainly individuals process trauma differently, from resilient rebounds to undergoing lifelong PTSD. However, children's neurological systems are still plastic and impressionable. As such, traumatic childhood experiences can compromise neurological development, posing long term adverse health outcomes among homeless children.
The mental health consequences that arise from housing instability in children are long-term and/or permanent; they often influence the children’s behavior or conditions far into adulthood. Their success and mental health as an adult depends on their healthy childhood development, which is severely impacted by housing instability. It is absolutely inexcusable for even one child to lack access to basic needs and adequate living for his/her health and wellbeing. No child should be subjected to living in paralyzing despair. No child should have their chance of a happy and healthy future taken away by forces outside their control.
Writers: Shadie & Adira
Editors: Adira & Susanna
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