Les B. Whitbeck: Mental Health and Emerging Adulthood Among Homeless Young People

In Mental Health and Emerging Adulthood among Homeless Young People, Les Whitbeck provides a wealth of information gathered during a 3-year longitudinal study of homeless youth in several Midwestern cities: Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Omaha, Wichita, Kansas City, and St. Louis. The purpose of this study was to collect data on young people approximately 16–19 through 19–22 years of age to assess the effects of homelessness on mental health during this critical period of development. The goal of these in-depth interviews was to shed light on a topic that has long been ignored in our country: what happens to children who run away from their homes and live on the streets.

Whitbeck’s theory proposes that living on the streets would initiate a dependence on peer groups for social support rather than supportive adults, that education would be interrupted or stopped, and that financial strain would increase, as would emotional burdens that could have long lasting negative effects. These negative effects would emerge because the youth are in the space between childhood and adulthood with no one to steer them in a positive direction. There is no doubt that Whitbeck undertook a major project and made an important commitment to gathering highly needed data to report on the mental health of young adults. The book presents an overwhelming amount of information about a population of young adults that is difficult to reach and gather information from in such a systematic manner. Click here to read the complete book review