Resilience in Transitional Age Youth Experiencing Homelessness: The Role of Social Connectedness

Transitional age youth experiencing homelessness (TAY-EH) face a disproportionate burden of adversity, psychiatric and substance-related morbidity, and negative outcomes including suicide, which may be attenuated by resilience. Though variably defined, resilience encompasses both internal attitudes and external supports; however, prior quantitative studies in TAY-EH have focused mainly on internal resilience. The aim of this study was to examine the interplay of internal and external resilience factors in buffering against suicidal ideation and self-injurious behaviors (SI/SIB) in a sample of TAY-EH.

TAY-EH in a metropolitan area completed cross-sectional quantitative assessments of internal resilience, social connectedness, structured psychiatric and substance use disorder diagnoses, and psychosocial factors. Outcome variables included the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, the Social Connectedness Scale, and past SI/SIB. Analyses examined correlates of high vs low internal resilience and the role of social connectedness as a mediator of the relation between internal resilience and SI/SIB.

The full assessment was completed by 140 TAY-EH. When comparing higher and lower resilience groups (median split), no differences were found in rates of psychiatric illness or substance use disorder. In contrast, higher internal resilience was associated with male gender identity, high social connectedness, and low SI/SIB (vs lower resilience; ps < .05). Social connectedness was a mediator of the relation between resilience and SI/SIB.

This study highlights the critical interplay of internal resilience skills/attitudes and external resilience supports in buffering against negative outcomes such as SI/SIB in TAY-EH. These findings add evidence to the crucial need for treatment interventions that incorporate internal and external resilience factors for TAY-EH.