Common Themes in the Life Stories of Unaccompanied Homeless Youth in High School: Implications for Educators

Mendez, Linda M. Raffaele; Dickinson, Sarah; Esposito, Emily E.; Connolly, Justine; Bonilla, Leah

doi:10.1007/s40688-017-0148-8

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Many outlined how these experiences had caused them to feel silenced, unseen, scarred and stuck. This fits into existing literature highlighting the experiential complexity of childhood neglect along with other forms of adversity (Mendez et al , 2018).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Research from North America suggests that childhood neglect appears to play a central role in the early lives of many homeless adults. While childhood emotional and physical neglect are common among homeless adults (Patterson et al , 2014; Putnam-Hornstein et al , 2017), qualitative research highlights this phenomenon’s complexity (Mendez et al , 2018; Woodhall-Melnik et al , 2018). For example, research from Schmitz and Tyler (2016) found that childhood neglect amongst individuals who later became homeless in adulthood had often involved a process of “early adultification”, in which they performed household and caregiving duties on behalf of their parents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The early and later-life care experiences of individuals using short-term homeless services: an attachment-informed interpretative phenomenological analysis

Howe

Grey

Dickerson

2022

MHSI

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Purpose This paper aims to explore the care experiences of individuals using short-term homeless services in the UK, who identify as being neglected in childhood. The study endeavours to give voice to the subjective experiences of homeless individuals in these specific domains and optimise therapeutic and housing services provided to individuals from this sub-population. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews containing elements of the “Adult Attachment Interview” (AAI) were conducted with eight individuals who had experienced childhood neglect and used short-term homeless services in adulthood. Interviews were analysed using an attachment informed version of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (AI-IPA). Findings Analysis parsed participants’ data into four master themes: “Everything was wrecking all the time”: Unsafe spaces; “Kind of pretending I was […] dead”: Strategies for survival; “My mum didn’t believe me”: Traumatic self-shaping; and “My first reckoning with self”: Restoration & Recovery. Together, themes indicated that participants had undergone traumatic early and later-life care experiences but were engaged in idiosyncratic recovery journeys. The meanings that participants derived from their past experiences of neglect were nuanced and interacted with their current relationships in complex and highly personal ways. Originality/value By applying an innovative methodology to a predominantly unchartered empirical area, this project extends existing research and presents a meaningful set of results. Implications for the delivery of short-term homeless services and therapeutic practitioners are discussed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The early and later-life care experiences of individuals using short-term homeless services: an attachment-informed interpretative phenomenological analysis

Howe

Grey

Dickerson

2022

MHSI

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“…Traumatic reasons for displacement make unaccompanied youth more likely to experience physical or sexual abuse, sleep in unsheltered environments, and experience higher levels of victimization while homeless than youth experiencing homelessness with their guardians (Moore 2005). Moreover, unaccompanied youth do not have parents or guardians to advocate for them in school, and they often rely on teachers and mentors for guidance to succeed academically (Aviles de Bradley 2011; Mendez et al 2018). The most recent reauthorization of McKinney-Vento acknowledges some of the specific challenges that impact UYEH, and the policy now requires school district homeless liaisons to ensure that UYEH know their rights under the policy, that liaisons advocate for the best interest of UYEH, and support them in the financial aid process for higher education (Aviles de Bradley 2011; Moore 2005).…”

Section: Family Composition and Homelessnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young, Black, successful, and homeless: examining the unique academic challenges of Black students who experienced homelessness

Edwards

2020

Journal of Children and Poverty

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Youth homelessness is a growing crisis impacting urban high schools across the United States. Black youth, in particular, are disproportionately affected. While the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is designed to provide educational access to students experiencing homelessness, the extent to which the policy supports Black students is unclear. This qualitative study uses structural racism as an analytic framework to examine the narratives of eight Black youth who successfully graduated high school while experiencing homelessness. Findings show that being Black and experiencing homelessness creates unique challenges for accessing resources under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Participants identified hostile racial climates at school as a common deterrent from disclosing their homeless status to adults at school, thereby restricting their access to federal support. The findings suggest the need for race-conscious language and interventions to be included in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Additionally, the author urges more researchers studying youth homelessness to use a critical racial lens to address the racial knowledge gap that exists in the current literature on student homelessness.

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“…Regarding the first hypothesis, although it might be expected that people with a hard life experience [124] have scarce occasions to be grateful, they actually still find reasons to be grateful, such as simply being alive or being sheltered. Moreover, although society is not accustomed to think about the function of religion in the lives of homeless persons [125], it seems that sometimes these people find their strength in God or divinity [126]. Smith-Barusch [90] reported that the dominant topics among most homeless persons are religious experiences and expressions of gratitude.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moderating Effect of Help-Seeking in the Relationship between Religiosity and Dispositional Gratitude among Polish Homeless Adults: A Brief Report

Szczęśniak

Szmuc

Tytonik

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Although empirical reports draw attention to the pathological aspects of the functioning of the homeless, recent studies show the benefits related to the elevating roles of different positive phenomena in coping with difficulties for this group of people. The main goal was to verify whether there is a direct relationship between religiosity and gratitude among the homeless, and whether this association is moderated by the reported help-seeking since both religiosity and gratitude seem to play an important role in homeless people’s lives. In total, 189 homeless persons participated in the study. Their mean age was M = 56.55 (SD = 12.39; range = 27–86). Most respondents were men (n = 119; 63%). The Scale of Religious Attitude Intensity and the Gratitude Questionnaire were used. The outcomes presented a statistically significant positive correlation between religious attitude and gratitude (r = 0.326***, p = 0.001). Help-seeking played a moderatory role in this relationship. Therefore, it can be assumed that the relationship between religiosity attitude intensity and dispositional gratitude is stronger when homeless persons seek specific help from other people or institutions compared to when they do not look for assistance. Homeless people, overcoming their limitations by actively asking for help, can strengthen their bonds with God (faith, religiosity) and with others (dispositional gratitude).

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Common Themes in the Life Stories of Unaccompanied Homeless Youth in High School: Implications for Educators

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

The early and later-life care experiences of individuals using short-term homeless services: an attachment-informed interpretative phenomenological analysis

The early and later-life care experiences of individuals using short-term homeless services: an attachment-informed interpretative phenomenological analysis

Young, Black, successful, and homeless: examining the unique academic challenges of Black students who experienced homelessness

Moderating Effect of Help-Seeking in the Relationship between Religiosity and Dispositional Gratitude among Polish Homeless Adults: A Brief Report

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