The Loneliness of Youth Homeless

ABSTRACT

At the dawn of the 21st century, both loneliness and homelessness are more pervasive than we would possibly like to admit. In this study, the experience of loneliness of the homeless youth and young adults was compared to that of the same age groups in the general population. Forty nine homeless youth and 64 young adults as well as 79 youth and 132 young adults from the generell population answered a 30 item yes/no questionnaire, which captures the qualitative aspects of loneliness. The experience of loneliness is composed of the following five factors: Emotional distress, Social inadequacy and alienation, Growth and discovery. Interpersonal isolation, and Self-alienation. The present results indicated that the experience of loneliness for the homeless is significantly different from that of the general population. Age main effects were explored and discussed.