Objective: Understanding patterns of dangerous and illicit substance use among young parents who are homeless may provide insight into how best to support this highly vulnerable group and their children. This study examines the relationship between having a biological child and drug use among youth experiencing homelessness. Method: We used 4 waves of cross-sectional data from 1,010 youths ages 14–26 at 3 drop-in agencies serving youth experiencing homeless in Los Angeles, CA. Among participants, 23.8% of males and 28.9% of females had a biological child. We conducted multivariate logistic regression models for males and females on 4 substance use behaviors in the past month: binge drinking, using hard/illicit drugs, prescription drug misuse, and injection drug use. Results: Fathers had greater odds of hard drug use, prescription drug misuse, and injection drug use than males without children. There was no significant relationship between having a child and any of the four substance use behaviors for females. Conclusions: Findings suggest that having a child is not associated with higher risk of dangerous or illicit substance use for females. Results highlight the need to proactively engage young males in pregnancy prevention, parenting programs, and substance use treatment and prevention.

中文翻译：

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无家可归青年人的父母教养与危险物质使用行为的关系

目的：了解无家可归的年轻父母中危险和非法物质的使用方式，可能有助于深入了解如何最好地支持这一高度脆弱的群体及其子女。这项研究探讨了生孩子与吸食无家可归的年轻人之间的关系。方法：我们使用了来自3个直接服务机构的1,010名14-26岁青年的4波横断面数据，服务于加利福尼亚州洛杉矶的无家可归青年。在参与者中，男性的23.8％和女性的28.9％育有孩子。在过去一个月中，我们针对男性和女性在以下4种物质使用行为上进行了多变量logistic回归模型：暴饮暴食，使用硬/非法药物，滥用处方药和注射毒品。结果：父亲使用硬毒品，滥用处方药，和注射毒品的使用率要高于没有孩子的男性。育有孩子与女性的四种药物使用行为之间没有显着关系。结论：研究结果表明，生育孩子不会增加女性使用危险或非法物质的风险。结果表明，需要积极让年轻男性参与怀孕预防，育儿计划以及药物使用的治疗和预防。