Victimization and Health Among Indigent Young Women in the Transition to Adulthood: A Portrait of Need

The researchers studied a stratified random sample of 224 women ages 18-25 from 51 temporary shelter facilities (N=94) and 66 Section 8 private, project-based Housing and Urban Development-subsidized apartment buildings (N=130) in Los Angeles County. The participants completed structured interviews.

The purpose of the study was to understand victimization by physical and sexual violence and its association with physical and behavioral health among a probability sample of sheltered homeless and low-income-housed young women.

Researchers found that 41 percent of the sample had been physically or sexually victimized as children, and 51 percent had been victimized since turning 18. Victimized young women were significantly (p<.05) more likely than non-victimized women to have an STD other than HIV/AIDS or hepatitis B or C, vaginal discharge or bleeding and pelvic pain in the past 6 months, and past 12-month screening diagnoses of drug abuse/dependence and depression. Victimized women were also significantly more likely to use alcohol to intoxication and drugs, including crack cocaine and amphetamines, during the past 6 months. Such women also experienced psychological distress and low self-esteem.

"This study highlights striking rates of victimization and its association with physical and behavioral health problems among indigent young women during the period of emerging adulthood," the authors concluded. "This portrait of need communicates an urgency to develop multifaceted programs for such women to help them successfully navigate the transition to adulthood and realize their full potential as adults."

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