Adverse childhood experiences among previously homeless African American women. Public Health Nurs 2022 Mar;39(2):446-455
Date
09/20/2021Pubmed ID
34537971DOI
10.1111/phn.12970Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85115084818 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 8 CitationsAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To learn how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impacted the life course trajectory of formerly homeless and at-risk African American women.
DESIGN: Intersectionality and life course theory informed this qualitative pilot study, based on an instrumental case study design.
SAMPLE: Forty previously homeless and at-risk African American women, who were graduates from a long-term transitional living facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
MEASUREMENTS: Focus group interviews and one individual interview provided data about participants' life experiences prior to, during, and following their time at the transitional living facility, which provided supportive wrap-around services. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and line-by-line thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes. Fifteen focus group participants also completed ACE questionnaires.
RESULTS: Participants reported a high prevalence of multiple ACEs, and three themes were identified: childhood experiences with family conflict, childhood experiences of abuse, and negative coping mechanisms. One-hundred percent of women had experienced at least one ACE, based on ACE questionnaire responses.
CONCLUSIONS: ACEs affect various parts of patient's lives as adults. For nurses and other healthcare professionals, connecting with community resources provides the opportunity to strategically approach health improvement with wrap-around resources to improve health outcomes.
Author List
Schmitt M, Dressel A, Del Carmen Graf M, Pittman B, Deal E, Krueger E, Lopez AA, Kako P, Mkandawire-Valhmu LAuthor
Alexa Anderson PhD Associate Professor in the Nursing department at University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultChild
Female
Humans
Pilot Projects
Surveys and Questionnaires
