A Qualitative Exploration of the Parenting Strengths and Needs of Mothers Experiencing Homelessness

• In Event: Individual Differences and Strengths Among Parents Experiencing Homelessness: Links to Child Adjustment

Abstract

Warm and responsive parenting can be a protective factor against the developmental and behavioral challenges that are common among children who experience an episode of homelessness. Unfortunately, parents who are have lost their housing tend to face many personal, social, and systemic challenges that can erode the quality of parenting they provide to their children and have a negative impact on the relationship between parents and their children. Therefore, it is critical that parents who are homeless receive support to provide the sensitive, nurturing caregiving that they want to provide to their children. To provide optimal support, there must be a nuanced understanding of the parent’s desires for support and their strengths as parents as well as their needs. We sought this understanding through a unique research method – qualitative coding of the Five-Minute Speech Sample (FMSS). Research questions that guided our coding were (a) What are mothers who are residing in shelters with their children doing to promote the well-being and resilience of their children? and (b) How does shelter life impact mothers and their children? Participants were 40 mothers who were residing with their 2-6 year old children in an emergency shelter. They were asked to speak for five minutes about their child and how the two of them got along. Transcripts were uploaded to Dedoose, a web-based platform for analyzing qualitative and mixed-methods data. Afterwards, the team conducted a directed content analysis of the speech samples, which is a deductive method where existing theory informs the coding process and interpretation of the data (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). In the present study, we used Narayan and colleagues (2012) FMSS measure of expressed emotion to develop codes around positive parenting practices of mothers experiencing homelessness (e.g. expressions of affection, sympathy, positive interactions with their children). Three members of the research team then engaged in an iterative coding process where every transcript was double-coded. The team also met to review and reconcile any records that fell below the acceptable interrater reliability level of .80. Results revealed various strategies that mothers used to promote resilience in their children. This included focusing on their children’s strengths, providing unconditional love, offering sympathy and empathy, and partaking in positive activities together. Mothers also reported seeking out resources to help promote healthy development in their children. Finally, mothers voiced various approaches to parenting including the use of positive parenting practices, such as positive reinforcement. We also took a qualitative approach to better understand how living in emergency shelters impacted the mother and child. Mothers reported that living in the shelter negatively impacted their child’s functioning. Mothers noted concerns with biting, fighting, toilet training, and disobedience. Mothers also reported negative changes in their relationship since moving into the shelter. Finally, mothers discussed various ways in which living in shelters has influenced their parenting styles, including their approaches to discipline. Based on these findings, we make several policy recommendations for shelters, as well as suggest possible interventions to support these families.

Authors

• McKenzie Green, Virginia Commonwealth University
  Presenting Author

• Mary Haskett, North Carolina State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Caitlyn Reis Owens, North Carolina State University
  Non-Presenting Author