Psychological Interventions for Runaway and Homeless Youth

In this review we examined previous studies of psychological interventions for runaway and homeless youth and evaluated the effectiveness of these interventions in terms of mental health outcomes.

Literature review.

A search of various databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), was conducted. In this review we systematically described the characteristics of the included studies and interventions, and conducted a narrative synthesis and meta-analyses of the mental health outcomes of the interventions.

Five types of psychological interventions were identified in the included 11 studies: art therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based interventions, family therapy, motivational interviewing, and strengths-based interventions. The narrative synthesis found positive effects of family therapy on substance use and positive effects of CBT-based interventions on depression. However, according to the meta-analyses, none of the interventions had any significant effects.

Family therapies are likely to be effective in cases of substance use, and CBT-based interventions are likely to be effective in dealing with cases of depression. However, as the quantitative synthesis did not support the effects of any of the psychological interventions on mental health outcomes, further research is needed.

Nurse-led interventions were identified in two studies. Mental health nurses should assess the mental health status of runaway and homeless youth and provide timely and effective interventions.