Without A Home: The National Youth Homelessness Survey

Positive relationships and self-esteem
The quality of relationships with other people is correlated with self-esteem. In our sample,
young people who reported positive relationships with friends were much more likely
to report high levels of self-esteem. Likewise, those who either are in regular contact
with family members (more than once a month) and who value family connections also
demonstrate higher levels of self-esteem.
TABLE 28
Quality of relationships and self-esteem
RELATIONSHIPS WITH FRIENDS
RELATIONSHIPS WITH FAMILY
Self-esteem
POOR
RELATIONS
WITH
FRIENDS
MODERATE
RELATIONS
WITH
FRIENDS
POSITIVE
RELATIONS
WITH
FRIENDS
IN REGULAR CONTACT
WITH FAMILY
VALUE FAMILY
CONNECTIONS
YES NO YES NO
LOW 25.6% 12.5% 10.2% 12.2% 19.2% 11.6% 20.9%
MODERATE 39.6% 48.0% 28.5% 35.1% 37.5% 35.9% 37.3%
POSITIVE 34.4% 39.5% 61.3% 52.7% 43.0% 52.6% 41.4%
Trauma and self-esteem
Research has demonstrated that the experience of trauma is associated with lower levels
of self-esteem. Our research confirms this finding. Our data indicates that young people
who were victims of physical or sexual assault as children were less likely to have positive
self-esteem. This was also the case for young people who were physically or sexually
assaulted in the previous 12 months.
TABLE 29
Trauma and self-esteem
PAST EXPERIENCES OF TRAUMA
PHYSICAL
ASSAULTED SEXUAL ASSAULT
ABUSE IN
CHILDHOOD
SEXUAL ABUSE
IN CHILDHOOD
IN PAST 12
MONTHS
IN PAST 12
MONTHS
ATTEMPTED
SUICIDE
Self-esteem YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO
LOW 17.7% 10.3% 18.8% 12.2% 17.4% 11.8% 20.2% 13.0% 18.8% 9.3%
MODERATE 33.5% 35.3% 38.4% 33.6% 36.5% 34.3% 37.0% 34.2% 38.9% 29.7%
POSITIVE 48.7% 54.5% 42.9% 54.1% 45.8% 53.9% 42.8% 52.7% 42.2% 60.8%
88
WITHOUT A HOME: THE NATIONAL YOUTH HOMELESSNESS SURVEY