Abstract
Future expectations of youth surviving on the streets of Porto Alegre, Brasil, were examined. The sample consisted of 35 boys and 34 girls aged 10-18 (M age 14.4) who participated in a sentence completion task and semi-structured interviews. Responses to two incomplete sentences regarding the future revealed a mismatch between hoped-for and expected events. When completing the sentence, "In the future, I hope..." the majority of youth gave optimistic (but generally non-specific) responses. In contrast, the sentence "For me, the future..." elicited more pessimistic responses. Few gender or age-related differences emerged. Findings are discussed in light of prior research with general populations of adolescents as well as studies of street youth. Taken as a whole, results suggest that life on the street shapes and constrains how youth see their futures. Implications of the findings for policy makers and practitioners are addressed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 249-262 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Adolescence |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 2 SPEC. ISSS. |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2005 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Social Psychology
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health