Stress, Social Support, And Psychological Symptoms In Homeless And Matched Housed Adolescents: A Longitudinal Analysis

The relationship between stress, social support, and psychological health symptoms has been well documented. In general, high levels of social support appear to buffer the negative effects stress has on psychological symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the temporal relationship between stress, social support, and psychological health in a large sample of homeless and matched housed adolescents. Understanding this relationship may be important in developing optimal social and health services for at-risk youth. It was hypothesized that among individuals with both high and low perceived social support, rates of change in stress and in psychological health will be significantly related to one another. Additionally, we hypothesized that the relationship between rates of change in stress and psychological health would be stronger for individuals with low perceived social support. Using a dual process growth model approach, we were able to explore how stress and psychological symptoms changed over time among participants with both high and low perceived social support. The hypotheses were partially supported, and implications for treatment are discussed