"Substance abuse" disorders among runaway and homeless youth

This study used systematic sampling methods to recruit a sample of 432 homeless youth from both service and natural "hang-out" sampling sites. According to DSM-III criteria, the majority of respondents were classified as having an alcohol and/or illicit "drug abuse" disorder (71%). The results from multivariate logistic regression analyses indicate that cumulative length of time homeless is positively associated with risk for an "abuse" disorder. The implications of these findings and recommendations for service interventions are discussed.