Families of origin of homeless and never-homeless women

"It Made Me so Vulnerable": Victim-blaming and Disbelief of Child Sexual Abuse as Triggers of Social Exclusion Leading Women to Homelessness

Although the association between child sexual abuse (CSA) and homelessness among women is well documented, few studies have investigated this topic from a feminist standpoint, examining the impact of sociocultural factors such as rape culture. Based on a qualitative life course approach, individual interviews were conducted with 21 women who experienced both CSA and homelessness. Participants were between 29 to 60 years old (M = 45 years of age). Analyses revealed that CSA disclosure experiences were characterized by victim-blaming and disbelief. Women's traumatic experiences were further aggravated by these types of reactions. Finally, CSA and negative social reactions to women's disclosures of CSA were perceived as the onset of social exclusion, which lead to their homelessness. This study shows how traumatic CSA experiences and negative social reactions to their disclosure can both contribute to social exclusion and isolation, and to homelessness through the internalization of rape myths. These findings support the importance of focusing on CSA prevention to reduce social exclusion and homelessness.

Recognizing and responding to women experiencing homelessness with gendered and trauma-informed care

Background

The purpose of this study is to highlight the experiences of women who are often hidden in what we know and understand about homelessness, and to make policy and practice recommendations for women-centred services including adaptations to current housing interventions.

Methods

Three hundred survey interviews were conducted with people experiencing homelessness in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The survey instrument measured socio-demographics, adverse childhood experiences, mental and physical health, and perceived accessibility to resources. Eighty-one women participants were identified as a subsample to be examined in greater depth. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were calculated to provide insight into women respondents’ characteristics and experiences of homelessness and how they differed from men’s experiences.

Results

Women’s experiences of homelessness are different from their male counterparts. Women have greater mental health concerns, higher rates of diagnosed mental health issues, suicidal thoughts and attempts, and adverse childhood trauma. The results should not be considered in isolation, as the literature suggests, because they are highly interconnected.

Conclusion

In order to ensure that women who are less visible in their experiences of homelessness are able to access appropriate services, it is important that service provision is both gender specific and trauma-informed. Current Housing First interventions should be adapted to ensure women’s safety is protected and their unique needs are addressed.

Voices from the street: exploring the realities of family homelessness

Homelessness threatens the health and well-being of thousands of families in the United States, yet little is known about their specific needs and how current services address them. To fill this knowledge gap, we explored the experiences of homelessness families in Detroit, Michigan. We targeted homeless mothers and their caseworkers for study to see if the perceptions of needs and services were in alignment. Using focus groups and content analysis, we identified four overarching themes that illustrate homeless mothers' experience with homelessness. We then analyzed data from caseworkers to look specifically for similarities and differences in their perceptions. Key findings included reports of family histories of violence, poverty, social isolation, and a lack of informal support as contributing to homelessness. The differing perspectives of mothers and their caseworkers regarding how best to move forward highlight how current programs and services may not be meeting the needs of this growing and vulnerable cohort.

Homelessness, a state of mind?: a discourse analysis

This article presents a discourse analysis of a woman's written account of mental illness and homelessness. In her preparation as a co-presenter at a conference for decision- and policy-makers, Anna wrote eight distinct drafts of her speaking notes; each time emphasizing different aspects of her experiences with mental illness and homelessness. By sharing her preparatory writings, Anna offers a rare insight into the 'evolution' of the thinking that went into representing her story to an audience of professionals. In addition, this analysis represents an interpretation and alternative forum to learn from Anna's story.

Literacy and perceived barriers to medication taking among homeless mothers and their children

PURPOSE

The relation of medical literacy to women-reported barriers to taking medication themselves or giving medication to their children was studied.

METHODS

Women in 18 homeless shelters in four counties in central North Carolina were recruited. Head-of-household homeless mothers with psychiatric or substance-abuse disorders and dependent children were eligible to participate. Trained interviewers administered a site-specific questionnaire on medication use.

RESULTS

One hundred sixty-four homeless women participated. Forty-two percent of the women were currently taking a medication. Forty-six percent of the women stated that there was a barrier to taking their medications as prescribed. Medical literacy was not significantly related to whether women felt there were barriers to taking a medication. Seventy-five percent of the women reported having one or more children living with them. Thirty-seven percent reported having a child with asthma live with them, and 12% reported having a child with attention-deficit disorder. Forty percent reported a barrier to giving their child a needed medication. Taste was the most commonly reported barrier. Women with lower medical literacy and younger women were significantly more likely to report a barrier to giving their children a needed medication. Over 80% of women listed pharmacists as their first or second choice for receiving drug information orally.

CONCLUSION

Race and perceived barriers to medication use affected the medication-taking behavior of homeless women, while their age and literacy level affected the reporting rates of the barriers to medication use for their children. Homeless women preferred receiving both written and oral drug information from a physician or a pharmacist.

Racial differences in the use of antidepressants and counseling for depression among homeless women

The purpose of the current study was to examine how African American race was related to the use of antidepressants and counseling among homeless depressed women. Women were recruited in 18 homeless shelters in four counties in central North Carolina. Head of household homeless mothers with psychiatric and/or substance abuse disorders who had dependent children were eligible to participate. One hundred and sixty four women enrolled into the study. Fifty-six percent (N=92) of the homeless women were currently depressed at the time of enrollment into the study. Nineteen of the depressed women reported having received counseling during the past 3 months and there were no racial differences in counseling use. A total of 19 depressed women were currently taking antidepressants. Non-Black depressed women (60%) were significantly more likely than Black depressed women (16%) to be currently using antidepressant medication (OR=0.14, 95% CI=0.02, 0.90). Fourteen of the 92 depressed women reported needing mental health services but not receiving them during the past 3 months and all of these women were Black.

Barriers to Prenatal Care for Homeless Pregnant Women

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the barriers to prenatal care for homeless pregnant women.

DESIGN

A descriptive survey with written questionnaires.

PARTICIPANTS

About 183 pregnant homeless women live in Northeast Florida in any given month. More than 250 surveys were distributed to homeless pregnant women via agencies that provide shelter and/or services to homeless people in Northeast Florida. Forty-seven surveys were returned, representing 25.7% of the estimated population.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Barriers to prenatal care were measured using Melnyk's Barriers Scale, a 27-item Likert-type scale.

RESULTS

Of the respondents, 75.61% perceived barriers to prenatal care. Site-related factors were the most significant, followed by provider/client relationship, inconvenience, fear, and cost.

CONCLUSIONS

Although prenatal care is available to all pregnant women in Northeast Florida, barriers to accessing this care for homeless pregnant women are significant and need to be addressed by health care providers and administrators. Additional qualitative study of these issues is warranted.

Factors Influencing Homelessness in Women

The specific aims of the article were to: (i) compare childhood experiences of intimacy and autonomy as they occurred in the families of origin of women who have and women who have not experienced homelessness; (ii) compare social support, reciprocity, and conflict as they occurred in the childhood support networks and in the current support networks of women who have and women who have not experienced homelessness; (iii) examine the relationships between intimacy and autonomy in families of origin and the social support networks from childhood of women who have and women who have not experienced homelessness. Descriptive correlational design: 255 women were interviewed to determine levels of intimacy, autonomy, social support, reciprocity, and conflict in childhood relationships. The ANCOVA models for each of support, reciprocity, and conflict indicated a significant group effect. The post-hoc analysis for support indicated that the homeless group was significantly lower in support and reciprocity and significantly higher in conflict than the never-homeless groups. The never-homeless, never-abused group scored significantly higher on autonomy and intimacy than the homeless or the never-homeless, abused groups. This study demonstrates the significance of families of origin and learning how to develop and utilize support systems in preventing or reducing homelessness.