SynthesisBMC public health2019
The impact of interventions for youth experiencing homelessness on housing, mental health, substance use, and family cohesion: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 123 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in homeless children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Dialogues in clinical neuroscience · 2025Pooled it
- Design, Recruitment, and Implementation of Research Interventions Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness: A Systematic Review.Community mental health journal · 2024Pooled it
- Homelessness and health-related outcomes: an umbrella review of observational studies and randomized controlled trials.BMC medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Clinical guideline for homeless and vulnerably housed people, and people with lived homelessness experience.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2020Guideline
- Pooled it
- Housing and supportive services for young mothers experiencing substance use disorder and homelessness: Cost-effectiveness analysis of a randomized trial.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2024Trial
- Promoting Healthy Attitudes and Behaviors in Youth Who Experience Homelessness: Results of a Longitudinal Intervention Study.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2022Trial
- A qualitative exploration of how job insecurity influences the worker roles of youth that are homeless.Work (Reading, Mass.) · 2026Article
- Building social and structural connections for the prevention of opioid use among youth experiencing homelessness: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Strengths-Based Programs for Youth at Risk for Toxic Stress: A Scoping Review of Programs Targeting Mental Health, Substance Use, Parenting Skills, and Family Functioning.Trauma, violence & abuse · 2026Article
- Age, sex, and ethnic differences in substance use and/or substance use disorders among runaway and homeless youth: A meta-analysis and meta-regression.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Review
- How does music contribute to well-being? Perspectives from homeless young adults with problematic psychoactive substance use.Psychology of music · 2026Article
- Incorporating an equity perspective in systematic reviews of interventions: potential methodological approaches.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2026Review
- From Instability to Recovery: Mapping Youth Housing Trajectories with Life History Calendar.Journal of community psychology · 2026Article
- Building a comprehensive understanding of 2SLGBTQ+ youth homelessness: a scoping review.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- Resilience in Transitional Age Youth Experiencing Homelessness: The Role of Social Connectedness.JAACAP open · 2025Article
- Designing a trauma informed service to deliver trauma therapy with people experiencing homelessness: a qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Disparities in Treatment Outcomes for Cannabis Use Disorder Among Adolescents.Pediatric reports · 2025Article
- Fighting Lead Poisoning: Effective Conditions for Home-Based Education, Housing Remediation, and Relocation.Toxics · 2025Article
- Adapting Psychiatric Approaches to the Needs of Vulnerable Populations: A Qualitative Analysis.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundYouth often experience unique pathways into homelessness, such as family conflict, child abuse and neglect. Most research has focused on adult homeless populations, yet youth have specific needs that require adapted interventions. This review aims to synthesize evidence on interventions for youth and assess their impacts on health, social, and equity outcomes.
methodsWe systematically searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and other databases from inception until February 9, 2018 for systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials on youth interventions conducted in high income countries. We screened title and abstract and full text for inclusion, and data extraction were completed in duplicate, following the PRISMA-E (equity) review approach.
resultsOur search identified 11,936 records. Four systematic reviews and 18 articles on randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Many studies reported on interventions including individual and family therapies, skill-building, case management, and structural interventions. Cognitive behavioural therapy led to improvements in depression and substance use, and studies of three family-based therapies reported decreases in substance use. Housing first, a structural intervention, led to improvements in housing stability. Many interventions showed inconsistent results compared to services as usual or other interventions, but often led to improvements over time in both the intervention and comparison group. The equity analysis showed that equity variables were inconsistently measured, but there was data to suggest differential outcomes based upon gender and ethnicity.
conclusionsThis review identified a variety of interventions for youth experiencing homelessness. Promising interventions include cognitive behavioural therapy for addressing depression, family-based therapy for substance use outcomes, and housing programs for housing stability. Youth pathways are often unique and thus prevention and treatment may benefit from a tailored and flexible approach.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.