Comparison of the stressors and coping behaviors of homeless, previously homeless, and never homeless poor children.

The purpose of this study was to compare the stressors and coping behaviors of homeless, previously homeless, and never homeless poor school-aged children. Content analyses of interview data from 132 children were used. Forty-four (68%) of the homeless children identified at least one stressor related to being homeless. The three groups of children were similar in regard to stressors related to the family, self, peers, health, school, and environment. In regard to the violent behavior category, significantly more of the previously homeless and never homeless children expressed stressors compared to the homeless children. Significantly more previously homeless and never homeless children identified more social support coping behaviors compared to the homeless children. The three groups of children did not differ in regard to the use of behavioral and cognitive coping strategies.