Identifying Biopsychosocial Characteristics of Emergency Youth Shelter Residents With Psychiatric Diagnoses.

Background In the United States, homelessness is an issue that may affect a significant portion of the adolescent population. There is no consensus on the extent to which this population has been impacted by poor mental health and lack of resources. This study aimed to characterize trends among those who struggle with housing insecurity and mental illness to provide a clearer picture of mental health needs among this population. Methods Data from 641 adolescents who presented to a local adolescent homeless shelter between 2015 and 2021 were utilized to determine if there were significant associations between specific mental illness diagnoses and biopsychosocial characteristics. A chi-square test of independence was performed on demographic and psychosocial variables for categories with a frequency greater than five. For continuous variables, an unpaired t-test was utilized to assess significance (