Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Homeless teen mothers: social and psychological aspects

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Public Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aims

This study proposes to investigate the life contexts and experiences of motherhood among homeless adolescents and their relation with the “uncertainty reduction” theory.

Subjects and Methods

A total of 21 teens, living in eight temporary shelters in the city of São Paulo, were intentionally selected. In-depth, face-to-face semi-structured interviews were subsequently conducted. The study was performed by means of qualitative methodology.

Results

Six themes emerged in the content analysis with the agreement of judges: “circulation” or domestic instability; incapacity to rely on one’s own parents and relatives; the street as a solution; fear of theft of the child; need for support; motherhood as hope and search for identity.

Conclusion

Motherhood acquires the function of giving meaning to existence and opens a window of opportunity for reorganizing their lives around more stable bonds. The results suggest that the reduction in uncertainty could partly explain the relevant role of motherhood in these teens.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aptekar L (1996) Crianças de rua nos países em desenvolvimento: uma revisão de suas condições. Psicol Reflexão Crítica 9:153–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Backer G, Musik J (1994) Rebuilding nests of survival: A comparative analysis of the needs of at – risk adolescent women and adolescent mothers in the U.S., Latin America, Asia and Africa. Childhood (2):152–163. DOI 10.1177/090756829400200305

  • Banyard VL (1995) “Taking another route": daily survival narratives from mothers who are homeless. Am J Community Psychology 23:871–891, DOI 10.1007/BF02507019

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bassuk E, Rubin L, Lauriat A (1986) Characteristics of sheltered homeless families. Am J Public Health. 76:1097–1101

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bassuk E, Weinreb L, Buckner J, Buckner JC, Browne A, Salomon A et al (1996) The characteristics and needs of sheltered homeless and low-income housed mothers. JAMA 276:640–646

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bassuk E, Buckner J, Perloff J, Bassuk S (1998) Prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders among homeless and low - income housed mothers. Am J Psychiatry 155:1561–1564

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boxill N, Beaty A (1990) Mother/child interaction among homeless women and their children in a public night shelter in Atlanta, Georgia. In: Boxill NA (ed) Homeless children: the watchers and the winters. Haword Press, New York, pp 49–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Choi N, Snyder L (1999) Voices of homeless parents: the pain of homeless and shelter life. J Hum Behav Soc Environ 2:55–77, DOI 10.1300/J137v02n03_04

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clemmens D (2003) Adolescent motherhood: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs 28:93–99

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ensign J (2001) Reproductive health of homeless adolescent females in Seattle, Washington, USA. Women Health 31:133–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman D, Hechter M, Kanazawa S (1994) A theory of the value of children. Demography. 31:375–401

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser BG, Strauss A (1967) The discovery of grounded theory. Aldine, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenblatt M, Robertson MJ (1993) Life stiles, adaptative strategies and sexual behaviors of homeless adolescents. Hosp Community Psychiatry 44:177–180

    Google Scholar 

  • Greene J, Ennett S, Ringwalt C (1999) Prevalence and correlates of survival sex among runaway and homeless youth. Am J Public Health 89:1406–1409

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gregori MF (1998) Desenhos Familiares. Pesquisa sobre família de crianças e adolescentes em situação de rua. UNESCO, Fundação BankBoston, Alegro, São Paulo

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanna B (2001) Negotiating motherhood: the struggles of teenage mothers. J Adv Nurs 34:446–459

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson AK (1999) Working and nonworking women: onset of homelessness within the context of their lives. Affilia 14:42–77, DOI 10.1177/08861099922093518

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kidd S, Scriment K (2004) Evaluating child and youth homelessness. Evaluation Rev 28:325–341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leppard P (1991) “Homeless Kids”: their educational aspirations and needs [thesis]. Acadia University, Canada

    Google Scholar 

  • Levins M (1995) Young women who were homeless pregnant adolescents [dissertation]. [place unknown]: [s.l.]

  • Meadows-Oliver M (2003) Mothering in public: a meta-synthesis of homeless women with children living in shelters. J Spec Pediatr Nurs 8:130–136

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meadows-Oliver M (2006) Homeless adolescent mothers: a metasyntesis of their life experiences. J Pediatr Nurs 21:340–349

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miles MB, Huberman AM (1994) Qualitative data analysis: an expanded sourcebook. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • National Center on Family Homelessness (2005) Family homelessness: a growing american tragedy [text on the internet]. Coalition on Human Needs, Washington (DC), [cited 2007 12 mai]. Available from: http://www.chn.org/dia/organizations/chn/pdf/homelesspresentation031805.pdf

  • Noto AR, Nappo S, Gualduròz JCF, Mattei R, Carlini EA (1994) Levantamento sobre o uso de drogas entre meninos e meninas em situação de rua de cinco capitais brasileiras. CEBRID/EPM, São Paulo

    Google Scholar 

  • Omolade B (1997) The culture of african- american adolescent-mothers [thesis]. University of New York, New York

  • Organización Mundial de la Salud (1997) Necesidades de la salud de los adolescentes. OMS, Ginebra

    Google Scholar 

  • Patton MQ (1990) Quantative evaluation and research methods. Sage Publications, California

    Google Scholar 

  • Polit D, Morton D, White C (1989) Sex, contraception and pregnancy among adolescents in foster care. Fam Plann Perspect 21:203–208, DOI 10.2307/2135572

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rich OJ (1990) Maternal-infant bonding in homeless adolescents and their infants. Matern Child Nurs J 19:195–210

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rosemberg F (1993) O discurso sobre criança de rua na década de 80. Cad Pesquisa 87:71–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Saewyc EM (2003) Influential life contexts and environments for out-of home pregnant adolescents. J Holist Nurs 21:343–347, DOI 10.1177/0898010103258607

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scappaticci AS (2006) Life contexts and motherhood of homeless teen mothers: social and psychological aspects. Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo

    Google Scholar 

  • Vega L, Gutiérrez R (1998) La inhalación deliberada de hidrocarburos aromáticos durante el embarazo de adolescentes consideradas como “de la calle”. Salud Mental 21:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Weinreb L, Goldberg R, Bassuk E, Perloff J (1998) Determinants of health and service use patterns in homeless and low-income housed children. Pediatrics 102:554–562

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel)

Conflict of interest statement

The authors disclose any relevant associations that might pose a conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil

    Anne Lise Silveira Scappaticci & Sergio Luis Blay

  2. Department of Psychiatry, UNIFESP, R. Botucatu, 740 CEP 04023-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Anne Lise Silveira Scappaticci

Authors
  1. Anne Lise Silveira Scappaticci
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sergio Luis Blay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anne Lise Silveira Scappaticci.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Scappaticci, A.L.S., Blay, S.L. Homeless teen mothers: social and psychological aspects. J Public Health 17, 19–26 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-008-0195-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-008-0195-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation