Britta Dulac Hartlaub 04 07 03 A Risk Amplification Model of Victimization and Depressive Symptoms Among Runaway and Homeless Adolescents Les R Whitbeck Dan R Hoyt and Kevin A Yoder American Journal of Community Psychology Vol 27 No 2 1999 The Study This report is an examination of a theoretical model of risk amplification within a sample of 255 homeless and runaway adolescents They were interviewed on the streets and in shelters in urban centers of Missouri Iowa Nebraska and Kansas Separate models were examined for Males n 102 and females n 153 Results indicated that street experiences such as affiliation with deviant peers deviant subsistence strategies risky sexual behaviors and drug and or alcohol use amplified the affects of early family abuse on victimization and depressive symptoms for young women The street adaptations also significantly increased the likelihood of serious victimization over and above the effects of early family history for both young men and women In addition street behaviors increased the likelihood of depressive symptoms for young women over the effects of early family abuse but not for young men Theoretical Model See Fig 1 A theoretical model of developmental risk is examined using data from an ongoing research project involving interviews with homeless and runaway adolescents The proposed model is based on life course developmental theory and social interaction theory In the model it was hypothesized that events and behaviors on the streets would exacerbate the effects of earlier family physical and sexual abuse on risk for victimization and depressive symptoms among runaway and homeless adolescents It addresses the way that street experiences amplify negative developmental effects originating in the family Results See Table 1 The Pearson correlation coefficients r for the measures used in this analysis are presented in Table 1 At the bivariate level family abuse was significantly correlated with both victimization on the street and with depressive symptoms It also correlated significantly with time on own association with deviant peers drug use deviant subsistence strategies and risky sexual behaviors Victimization when on the street was significantly correlated with all of the predictor variables in the hypothesized model and with depressive symptoms Class Questions Look at Table 1 and compare Time on Own and Depressive Symptoms Time on Own and Deviant Subsistence Strategies and Family Abuse and Depressive Symptoms for both males and females what do the correlation coefficients for male and female tell you Can you think of any reasons for the gender differences