1 in 4 Homeless Children May Need Mental Health Services

The number of homeless children in this country is about 2.5 million, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness. Given the trying circumstances—among them, domestic violence, chronic unemployment, and substance abuse—that typically lead a family into homelessness, coupled with the stress of living in a shelter, these children are at high risk for developing mental health problems. A new study has quantified how serious this risk can be, finding that 25 percent of homeless children in Wake County, N.C., are in need of mental health services.

The findings, which were published in the Early Childhood Education Journal, come from a screening of both the developmental and social/emotional status of 328 children, between 2 months and 6 years old, from 11 shelters or transitional housing sites across the county.

As a comparison, other studies have estimated that social and emotional problems impair about 9 percent to 14 percent of all U.S. children in a similar age range.

“While this study was carried out in Wake County, we hope that it can start a national conversation about the scope of problems facing homeless children and their families,” said lead author Mary Haskett, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at North Carolina State University.

“The data are especially concerning as many of these children were not in school yet,” she continued. “Older children have some protection afforded by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act, but there are no such safety nets for children from birth to preschool.”

The McKinney-Vento Act provides federal funding to states to ensure school enrollment and educational stability for homeless youth.

Besides the high prevalence of children with significant mental health concerns, the assessment found that homeless children showed slower development related to language, motor skills, and cognition. While there were almost no differences in functioning between homeless infants and matched controls, homeless toddlers displayed lower communication scores, while homeless elementary-aged children scored lower across all tested skills.

Haskett did stress, however, that there was a good deal of variability among the children, and many did score above expectations.

“Children are vulnerable, but they are also resilient, and future research should look into the factors that enable many homeless children to cope with the tremendous adversity they face,” Haskett told Psychiatric News. “A better understanding could help shelters make their environment as conducive as possible for children’s well-being.”

Haskett does believe that shelters should also provide mental health screening services, while acknowledging most are not equipped to do so. “Yet, these settings could be critical portals for developmental and behavioral health care,” she said.

This study likely represents the most generalizable assessment of mental health in homeless children to date, given the large population sample and the focused age range (birth to 6 years). It is also one of the first that incorporates data on the heels of the recent recession and the accompanying rises in unemployment, poverty, and homelessness.

The researchers used data made available through the help of Community Action Targeting Children Who Are Homeless (CATCH), a community project designed to assess and assist children who enter shelters across the county. CATCH is funded by the Salvation Army, Wake County Smart Start, and the John Rex Endowment. ■