Sociodemographic Variables, Childhood Characteristics, and Family Risk Factors for Homelessness: A “Puerto Rican Paradox?”

Abstract

This study explored sociodemographic variables, childhood characteristics, and family factors in the Puerto Rican homeless. The study is a secondary analysis in which a Puerto Rican homeless sample ( N = 113) is compared with a Puerto Rican primary care patient group ( N = 102). Discriminant function analysis was employed to determine if family and childhood risk factors accurately distinguish the primary care and homeless samples. The results indicated that the homeless sample was significantly more likely to endorse living in foster care, χ2 (1, N = 207) = 7.057, p = .008; being abandoned by their family χ2(1, N = 192) = 32.522, p < .001; experiencing the death of both parents χ2(1, N = 191) = 9.0, p < .05; and having no family support χ2(1, N = 194) = 6.094, p = .014, than the primary care population. The model of childhood and family risk factors correctly classified 84% of the sample, suggesting that combinations of factors are more predictive of risk for homelessness than any one variable. Among assessed factors, the death of a close family member, being abandoned by family, and the death of both parents were the best sample discriminators.