3.6 Education and Fear of Authorities

Disruption of Educational Continuity

It is challenging for the homeless youth to maintain their education due to housing instability, which eventually leads to complete detachment from skills and self-improvement. This reduces their capacity to find more self-improvement benefits in the community, as it is of least interest to them. This creates the following long-lasting impacts:

• Impact on Future Generations: The lack of interest and awareness of the available resources in the community is passed on from the current generation to the future generation, and the unawareness continues.
• Lack of General Awareness of Homelessness: The lack of education is a paramount factor in both the homeless people as well as the general public. Educating the general public on homelessness will give rise to empathy and understanding, which currently lack in society.

The unfamiliarity and inaccessibility of digital resources a major factors, as no information is able to be gathered through online platforms, and the lack of proper coordination between the government and society leads to inadequate information.

Fear of Authorities

Fears of being harmed (worries) may contribute to, perpetuate, and result from homelessness. Fears of being harmed/ rejected by people, for some individuals who have had a bad experience related to previous stable living situations.

What Is Meant by Fear of Authorities?

Authorities in this context are referred to as persons in power, and can also be called people who are in a different state of mind from that of the homeless. This, for example, might be medical personnel, caregivers, people around, shelter home staff or bosses, friends, the list goes on, e.t.c. According to Alix Needham (2015), a fear of authority figures is a type of social anxiety combining sudden shyness with a lack of confidence. In addition, it triggers other symptoms such as blushing. This fear’s root lies in the fear of being judged. Perhaps something happened in the past, causing embarrassment or humiliation, or there was a situation where you were found inadequate and rejected. As children, we are taught to respect and sometimes even fear authority figures. This causes us to revert to these old feelings of low self-worth. Feeling smaller and insignificant as the apparent magnitude of the person and situation grows.

Research was done with twenty-three people with experience of homelessness and at least moderate-severe persecutory worries completed a mixed-methods questionnaire. Seven feared harm from landlords or neighbours. An additional six participants reported fears related to living situations while homeless. All participants used avoidance strategies and at least six safety behaviours. Fifteen participants stated that there were links between fears, safety behaviours and unstable housing. Most participants reported that they would have wanted support with their fears.

Conclusion

The research provides evidence that for some individuals, the content of persecutory fears specifically relates to their living situation. Such fears, understandably, prompt avoidance and safety behaviours. Most participants wanted support with fears. These findings have clinical implications for improving the support available for people experiencing fears of being harmed and housing difficulties (Ashley-Louise Teale, Amy Lovell, Lucy Heard, Marta Krawczyk, 14 Nov 2024).