Depressive Symptoms among Homeless Early Adolescents Residing in an Urban Shelter

This study explored the effect of parental depression, parental perception of child difficulty, and parental rules on child depression among an urban sample of early adolescents who experienced homelessness and resided in a shelter in New York City. This study provides a deeper understanding on the roles that parenting strategies play in the depressive symptoms of early adolescents (N = 201). Hierarchical regression results indicated that the extent to which parents perceive their child as being easy or difficult, parents enforcing rules regarding knowing the location of the child after school, and establishing a set time for their child to arrive home had the greatest effect on early adolescent’s levels of depressive symptoms. Study limitations and next steps for future research are presented.