Impact of Homelessness on Depression and Psychological Well-being among Institutionalized Girls

Homelessness exists when people lack safe, stable and appropriate places to live. A homeless individual is defined in section 330(h) (5) (A) as an individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family), including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility (e.g., shelters) that provides temporary living accommodations, and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing. This study is an attempt to see whether homelessness exerts differential effects on depression and well-being among homeless girls. 30 institutionalized girls and 30 girls with personal residence were sampled for data collection. Their age ranged from 10 to 20 years. The results obtained did not establish the differential effects of homelessness on depression and well-being.