Homeless youth have negative and discriminatory interactions with social service providers, which may deter them from utilizing important services that help them exit homelessness and prevent the development of substance use disorders. In addition, homeless youth are also challenged by substance misuse, which can lead to developing substance use disorders. This study aims to address a critical research gap by investigating actionable interpersonal strategies that service providers can use to create positive interactions with homeless youth. Furthermore, this study investigates the extent to which key psychological resources (ethnic identity and sexual orientation identity) protect youth from the negative effects of discriminatory experiences and help prevent the development of substance misuse and substance use disorders.
This award provides support under the Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research Program and supplements the Prevention of OUD: The HOME (Housing, Opportunities, Motivation and Engagement) Randomized Trial project.
