‘I just want my parenting to be able to be better than what it is’: A qualitative exploration of parenting strengths and needs of mothers experiencing homelessness

Abstract

Perspectives of parents themselves should be central in framing services delivered to families experiencing homelessness. We explored the strengths and positive features of mother-child relationships and insight into mothers' views of the impact of living in shelters. We conducted qualitative coding of the Five-Minute Speech Sample (FMSS) of 41 mothers of young children. Results revealed a wide variety of strategies that mothers used to promote their children's resilient functioning. This included focusing on their children's strengths, providing unconditional love and engaging in positive activities together. Mothers also voiced varied approaches to parenting, including many positive practices. Mothers' FMSS included ways that living in the shelter had a negative impact on their child's functioning, and they reported negative changes in their relationship with their child since moving into the shelter. Finally, mothers discussed ways in which living in the shelter had influenced their parenting styles and approaches to discipline. We discuss implications of the findings for supporting families residing in shelters, and we provide recommendations for further research.