Week 6: Reviewing the Literature Accurately

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Impact of Child Homelessness on Mental Health and Academic Performance

Literature Review

Iriana Pinto

Department of Counseling, Webster University

COUN 5850: Research and Program Evaluation

Helen Singh Benn, PhD., LMHC  

February 8, 2021

Literature Review

Ironically, homelessness itself a kind of mental torture which automatically creates distress in a person's mind and bitterness about life. A person without having shelter feels uncomfortable; unsatisfied with his life that he cannot feed his family, even the state's policies are not fair enough to support homeless families. Here, in this paper, we discuss child homelessness which is a great threat to child health in terms of mental distress and academic performance (Vostanis, 1998). In a recent survey, there were 1.4 million children experienced homelessness worldwide, about 75% of children experienced homelessness by doubling-up with other families. On the other hand, 15% of children were in shelters, hotels/motels percentage calculated as 7%, and those were who didn't have shelter to live were 4%. The data has been collected from 2016-17 survey regarding measuring the child homelessness in all over the world according to which appropriate measures could be taken to ensure the provision of shelters, homes, education to homeless children effectively and efficiently. The data mentioned above is being reported from two sources, i.e. school districts required to report based on the number of homeless students they serve. In contrast, others belong to the consensus of federally funded homeless shelters and temporary housing programs conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and urban development.

Child Homelessness Statistics and Survey

Furthermore, the most important thing noticed during this survey is that overall child homelessness affects the mental health of the children and their academic performance. They do not feel comfortable while studying with 13-14 other family members, unsatisfied mind creates mental trouble and become the reason of destruction in overall academic performance. The explanations behind vagrancy in this get-together are extraordinary: many are overcomers of local violence, four and the get-together moreover consolidates uprooted individual families, generally in U.S. Homeless young people are on a very basic level more plausible than everyone, or assessment kids in stable housing, to have conceded development, six learning difficulties, seven and higher speeds of mental prosperity issues (social issues, for instance, rest agitating impact, eating issues, ill will, and overactivity, and energetic issues, for instance, despairing, anxiety, and self-harm).6,8–10 Such issues are not express to down and out families. They occur in various families living in trouble. They are related to threatening life events that rush vagrancy, for example, family breakdown, abuse, receptiveness to forceful conduct at home, and powerless social networks.

Child Homelessness Effects

Since various down and out families have changed area consistently or sincerely, they are more questionable than the rest of the general population to be enrolled with a by and large practitioner (Phillips, 2018). This reduces their induction to fundamental and discretionary clinical thought, similarly to immunizations and other preventive prosperity methods. Dejected families in this manner will, by and large, rely upon setback and emergency workplaces for clinical treatment, and they have high speeds of crisis facility admission.11 To date, there has been no assessment on the drawn-out impact of vagrancy on adolescents and their families' enthusiastic wellbeing. This cross-sectional longitudinal examination was expected to set up the level of passionate prosperity issues among dejected children and their people one year in the wake of rehousing by the close-by position.

Child Mental Distress

A normal 131,000 children were probably desperate last Christmas (Shelter, 2018). That number is needed to build up this year, and the conversation around social housing is simply creating. Not long ago, what has been very absent is the psychological effect of vagrancy on the children related to this conversation (Ann S. Masten, 2013). In the methodology Christmas, this article intends to outline past assessment on the effects of vagrancy, and the potential game plans recently portrayed, similarly as a point towards future investigation and exercises. There has been a ton of investigation incorporating vagrancy in America, and vagrancy overall.

Notwithstanding the way that, while researching British vagrancy note that vagrancy is portrayed from different viewpoints by different countries; in the U.K., vagrancy infers being in passing accommodation, lounge chair surfing or living with partners momentarily as government techniques centre around the housing of young people, while in America vagrancy suggests being in the city or a hotel paying little psyche to age. This makes American assessment difficult to apply to needy British children due to a basic qualification in the genuine children's definitions and experiences. Regardless, British down and out reason Shelter coordinated an emotional investigation based cycle with instructors around the U.K. about their experiences indicating children who have experienced vagrancy, highlighting different keyways kids are affected (Shelter, 2017).

Social restriction: Firstly, desperate adolescents can experience a great deal of social isolation from their companions – particularly if the child is in discretionary school, as a nonappearance of permission to toilet workplaces consistently suggests children's uniform and hair go unwashed. In more energetic children, this isn't by, and large an issue and appearance can be explained by an educator or dismissed absolutely by peers. Yet, youngsters struggled with feeling hesitant and being not equivalent to their mates. A couple of adolescents itemized tendency so embarrassed that they came into school exactly on schedule to wash in the school toilets preceding seeing mates. This social withdrawal level is dangerous for children, making low levels of certainty. It is a break from schoolwork and an enduring wellspring of anxiety for young people similarly as a normal insecure territory for hazards.

Geniuses: Another issue is that down and out young people are particularly vulnerable against troublesome children experiences, or ACEs (Hart-Shegos, 1999). It will, in general, be fought that being made desperate is itself an ACE, especially while considering the weakness and progressive changes of environment making trust and routine issues, anyway when coordinated with a shortcoming towards drug abuse (both from the parent and child), local abuse and sexual abuse from family members or partners that the child may be staying with, discouraged young people are especially vulnerable against ACEs. Such ACEs may hurt their unforeseen development and make them bound to experience passionate prosperity gives at some point as it were.

Impact on Academic Performance

Moreover, substance abuse and other major crimes could be embraced by homeless children. They use all these wrong acts because they don't have an education, if they do, then their study hours may be affected by living 12-13 other family members and so much noise. Less space to study and preparing for exams etc. Likewise, children choose these kinds of wrong acts because having less education that attacks their minds does not let them think in the right way. Ironically, good health is a blessing which allows us to perform our daily tasks productively and healthily. Our body is of the major reason behind this good health; if the health is not good, the body is the first, which affects how persons become unhealthy. To know the true meaning of health and the importance of our body which directly connects to our basic health, we consider this productive TEDx talk video of Lisa Rankin. She taught the true meaning of health by sharing her personal experience. There are lots of new things we learned from this video.

We have learned the new productive thing from this useful video and life experience of a Physician, i.e. Lisa Rankin. We come to know that there are certain other necessities of life which makes the body healthy. Good Food, Regular Check-up, Exercise etc. are essential needs but most important things we do ignore from our lives, which become an unhealthy body. The new things we have extracted from this video, i.e. Good Life, Good Living Environment, Good Mental State, Good Sex Life, Good Financial life etc. are essential and compulsory reasons to make the body health and food exercise etc.

How to Address the Personal Health Policy among Homeless Children?

To become a healthy body, it is necessary to find out what we are doing? What is missing in our life? It is necessary to explore because healthy food, air, and exercise are NOT only the reasons we judge our body to remain healthy. For this purpose, a healthy mental state allows us to find out the secrets of personal health. If I take an example of myself, my weakest point is unhealthy relationships explained by Lisa Rankin in her talks. These unhealthy relationships greatly affect health; for this purpose, it is compulsory to make relationships that make me happy. The ultimate purpose of making the body health would be achieved. The strongest point I have is a good financial life which is the strongest reason to remain healthy throughout life. When we overlap this weakness and strength, if both combined, we would live a healthy life and make our body perfect for us from all aspects.

Child Homelessness: Criminal Acts

As we have described above about the child mental illness and child mental disorder, these can lead a person towards depression and, most importantly, commit criminal acts. There is a wide range of suggestions that psychologists suggest to the defendant before committing criminal acts or embracing the criminal world. Embracing criminal acts is comprise of a range of critical background in which mental stress could be the reason behind choosing criminal world because no person on earth wants to do crime on his own, there is always mystery behind it certain kinds of incidents happened in life which can lead a person to embrace criminal act (CHerry, 2020). For this purpose, psychologists suggest certain important suggestions eradicate crimes from life always effectively and efficiently. These are as follows:

· Keep themselves busy in work, i.e. Job, business.

· Spend time with families

· Spend time with themselves and think why they want to do the crime

· Remind good times in life

· Discuss important incidents of life with loved ones

· Do some legal work

· Keep their Self-Esteem high.

· Alcohol and Drug Abuse are considered reasons behind people are committing criminal acts; for this purpose, they must eliminate from their lives as if they are roots behind these criminal acts.

Above-mentioned are certain important points, suggestions that psychologists normally suggest to individuals to eliminate themselves from the criminal world or if they are already doing crimes then they must consider all these suggestions mentioned above to come out of this dark world which is just a great deception and nothing else (Tracy, 2018). Everything is our loves ones, families, friends for whom we work and earn; rest must not be included in our lives at all. Different types of child mental disorders exist in persons suffering from various kinds of child mental illnesses, i.e. depression, anxiety, etc. Here, we shall differentiate between three different types of child mental disorders to explain and understand them more effectively and efficiently.

Functional Child mental disorder	Minor Child mental disorder	Manic-Depressive behaviour
· It has severe child mental illness. · Schizophrenia, Bi-polar mood disorders are certain common examples of functional child mental disorder. · Mostly old-age people suffer from this child mental disorder or less frequently begin in the old age. · They likely to experience a wide range of difficulties in that old age · Poor Physical Health is the reasons of social exclusion of this functional child mental disorder.	· Extreme Angler · There is more anxiety, along with panic attacks . · Bipolar disorders · Depression · Drug Abuse · It happens mostly in children when anyone faces certain difficulties, deceived in love, family issues and many more things become the reason for minor child mental disorder. · It might not persist longer if a person can effectively and efficiently eliminate it from his/her life. · These are certain kinds of indications of minor child mental disorder, leading to death if it passes its extreme limitations.	There is continuous mood swings happen. Irritations in mood Destructive thoughts Mind disturbance Sexual adventures Investment of money in shares, loss of shares, money Bipolar-I: this is kind in which a person has one ensured manic episode Bipolar II: This is kind in which he never had a manic episode at all

Above-mentioned are certain kinds of child mental disorders which have kind of child mental illnesses and symptoms based on which person is diagnosed with a specified child mental disorder which is explained above (Schmideberg, 2016). There are several reasons that whether youngsters or old-age people, any stress when passes its limitations, it would destroy the brain completely

Conclusion

Mental health should be the primary preference for the state and family; likewise, the children's academic performance is highly important in any way. Homelessness is the most difficult thing for children. Child mental illness and child mental disorder can lead a person towards depression and, most importantly, commit criminal acts. There is a wide range of suggestions that psychologists suggest to the defendant before committing criminal acts or embracing the criminal world. Embracing criminal acts is comprising of a range of critical background in which mental stress could be the reason behind choosing criminal world because no person on earth wants to do crime on his own, there is always mystery behind it certain kinds of incidents happened in life which can lead a person to embrace criminal act.

References Ann S. Masten, D. M. (2013). Children in Homeless Families: Risks to Mental Health and Development. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Brumley, B. F. (2015). The unique relations between early homelessness and educational well-being: An empirical test of the risk hypothesis continuum. Children and Youth Services Review. Cherry, K. (2020). What Criminal Psychologists Mostly Do? Criminal Psychology. Evans, W. N. (2019). Housing and Urban Development–Veterans Affairs supportive housing vouchers and veterans’ homelessness. American journal of public health. Fry, C. E. (2017). A systematic review of cognitive functioning among young people who have experienced homelessness, foster care, or poverty. Child Neuropsychology. Hart-Shegos, E. (1999). Homelessness and its effects, especially on children mental health. International Journal of Child Psychology. Narendorf, S. C. (2016). parenting and homeless: Profiles of young adult mothers and fathers in unstable housing situations. Families in Society. Pavlakis, A. E. (2017). Contextualizing the impacts of homelessness on academic growth. Teachers College Record. Phillips, A. (2018). Homelessness and its impact on children. Child Psychology. Schmideberg, M. (2016). Psychological Factors Underlying Criminal Factor. Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons. Shah, M. F. (2017). Predicting homelessness among emerging adults aging out of foster care. American Journal of Community Psychology. Tracy, N. (2018). Difference Between Mental Illness and Mental Disorders. Mental and Physical Health: Psychology. Vasileva, M. &. (2018). Attachment, development, and mental health in abused and neglected preschool children in foster care: A meta-analysis. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, . Vostanis, P. (1998). Mental health problems of homeless children and families: a longitudinal study. Child and adolescent psychiatry.