Improving Risk Detection Among Homeless Youth: Effects of a Randomized Trial

The majority of homeless youth experience victimization before leaving home and encounter subsequent victimization on the streets, including robbery, physical attacks, and sexual assault. Previous research indicates youth with histories of trauma often fail to detect danger risks, making them vulnerable to subsequent victimization. The current study tested a mindfulness-based, cognitive, skill-building intervention designed to train homeless youth to better detect risk through focusing attention to internal, interpersonal, and environmental cues. The study investigated: (1) whether the intervention increased homeless youths’ overall risk detection abilities, and, if so, (2) which specific types of risk detection were positively affected. Youth ages 18-21 (N=98) were recruited from a shelter and randomly assigned to receive usual case management services or usual services plus a 3-day manualized risk detection intervention. Pretest and posttest (1 week later) interviews assessed youths’ risk detection abilities through a series of vignettes describing risky situations and asking youth to identify risk cues present. Youth at baseline identified 23% (M=.23, SD=.10) of risk cues and were able to identify a greater proportion of interpersonal cues (M=.34, SD=.23) compared to environmental cues (M=.20, SD=.24) and internal cues (M=.13, SD=.14). Separate 2X2 repeated measures ANOVAs found a significant interaction effect from pre to posttest, as the intervention group improved in overall risk detection significantly more than control youth (F[1]=6.27, p=.015); specifically, the intervention significantly enhanced detection of interpersonal risk cues, with positive but non-significant trends in identification of internal and environmental cues. Implications for preventing victimization among homeless youth will be discussed.