Stressors and Coping Behaviors of Homeless, Poor, and Low-Income Mothers

Homelessness has been called a national crisis and homeless families a national tragedy. The presence of large numbers of mothers and small children without homes in a self-perceived country of affluence and opportunity has become an extremely politicized issue that has received a great deal of media attention. Little, however, is known empirically about the effects of the phenomenon on those who experience it. Although myths abound regarding this population, conventional wisdom implies that the homeless are predominantly mentally ill, substance abusers lazy, or in some way different from the rest of the population. These differences ac- count for their dire situation. This perspective has in some instances obscured the paucity of facts as homeless families continue to be shrouded in mystery (Bachrach, 1987; Kozol, 1988; Stoner, 1983). Little, if any, data exist concerning either stressful life events experienced by these families or their methods of coping. No published studies have compared the stress- ful life events and coping behaviors of these families to other similar groups such as poor but domiciled families. Community health nurses (CHNs) need this information to begin to develop a data base specific to homeless families so that appropriate group specific nursing interventions as well as supporting political strategies can be planned. This article reports a study comparing the stressors and coping behaviors of homeless mothers, mothers who were poor but domiciled, and mothers who were low income and domiciled.