Homeless Women’s Personal Networks: Implications for Understanding Risk Behavior

Abstract

The goal of this exploratory study was to examine the composition of homeless women’s personal networks in order to better understand the social context of risk behavior in this vulnerable population. Twenty-eight homeless women residing in temporary shelters in Los Angeles County provided detailed information about their extended personal networks. Women named 25 people with whom they had contact during the past year, and then were asked a series of questions about each one of these named network members. Results indicate that the personal networks of homeless women are larger and more diverse than suggested by previous research. About one-third of women’s relationships were with high-risk individuals (i.e., people perceived to drink heavily, use drugs, or engage in risky sex). However, most women also reported having relationships that could be characterized as both “low risk” (e.g., involving individuals perceived as not drinking heavily, using drugs, or engaging in risky sex) and “high quality” (e.g., long-term, emotionally close, or supportive), although these relationships tended to be rather tenuous. Our results suggest a need to assist homeless women in strengthening these existing low-risk/high-quality relationships, and extending the diversity of their networks, in order to increase women’s exposure to positive role models and access to tangible support and other needed resources.

Older homeless women’s identity negotiation: agency, resistance, and the construction of a valued self

“…The women devoted significant portions of their narratives to describing their roles and experiences as mothers, adult daughters, sisters, friends and, in some cases, paid caregivers. Similar to Tucker et al (2009), we saw that the emotional bonds with family were very important to the participants while frequency of contact was relatively low. Tucker and colleagues emphasized the importance of these bonds in providing positive role models and access to tangible support; our research also underscored their value as affirming the participants' identities, especially their goodness as women.…”

Are Social Network Correlates of Heavy Drinking Similar Among Black Homeless Youth and White Homeless Youth?

“…We asked respondents to provide fi rst names of 20 individuals ages 13 or older that they knew, who knew them, and that they had contact with (in person, by phone, by internet, by mail) sometime during the past 3 months. Interviewers used standardized probes to assist participants in recalling 20 network members (McCarty et al, 1997;Tucker et al, 2009;Wenzel et al, 2009). Each participant nominated 20 social network members, as requested, and we concluded solicitation of names after the 20th person had been named.…”

Social support and social network ties among the homeless in a downtown Atlanta park

“…Building on the foundation of past research, current studies have proceeded to investigate factors that influence the mental and physical health of the homeless (La Gory, Fitzpatrick, & Ritchey, 2001) and on special populations among the homeless, such as adolescents (Bao, Whitbeck, & Hoyt, 2000;Dachner & Tarasuk, 2002;Johnson, Whitbeck, & Hoyt, 2005), those with substance abuse problems (Valdez, Neaigus, & Kaplan, 2008;Zlotnick, Tam, & Robertson, 2003), or those that engage in risky sexual behavior Tucker et al, 2009;Tyler, 2007). Other recent studies of the homeless have combined the positive features of both quantitative and qualitative methods (Dordick, 2002;Molina, 2000;Morrell-Bellai, Goering, & Boydell, 2000) and an applied longitudinal research design to explore factors that facilitate exiting homelessness (MacKnee & Mervyn, 2002;Patterson & Tweed, 2009;Toohey, Shinn, & Weitzman, 2004).…”

“…Past studies suggest that as a result of financial and interpersonal stress, many homeless people rely on formal social service agencies for tangible support (MorrellBellai et al, 2000;Tucker et al, 2009). However, support from social service agencies may be perceived as less desirable than support from family or non-kin networks.…”

“…' Toohey et al (2004) compared poor but consistently housed women with women who had experienced homelessness and found that those who had experienced homelessness were not socially isolated, but they did experience fewer positive functions from network members than poor but housed women. Tucker et al (2009) studied homeless women in a temporary shelter and found that their social networks were diverse with both relationships with high-risk individuals (others that engaged in heavy drinking, drug use, or risky sex) and with others that provided emotional and supportive ties.…”