Abstract
Using the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC), we found that among homeless mothers (n = 588), those living without their children were more likely to: be older than 35 years, unmarried, have been incarcerated, have been homeless for at least 1 year, and to have used psychiatric medication. Many homeless mothers had histories of childhood trauma, but it was the accumulation of adulthood traumas that was associated with not living with one’s children. Without mental health treatment, younger homeless mothers living with their children today may become the homeless mothers living without their children in the future.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Martha Burt PhD and Linda Weinreb MD. This study was funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Substance Abuse Policy and Research Program #52826.
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Cheryl Zlotnick, Tammy Tam, and Kimberly Bradley are affiliated with the Center for the Vulnerable Child, Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland, 747 52nd Street, Oakland, CA 94609-1809.
Tammy Tam is affiliated with the Alcohol Research Group at the Public Health Institute, Emeryville, CA.
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Zlotnick, C., Tam, T. & Bradley, K. Impact of Adulthood Trauma on Homeless Mothers. Community Ment Health J 43, 13–32 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-006-9070-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-006-9070-7