“We remember the pain”

A qualitative study of intergenerational trauma among older adults experiencing homelessness in the Hope Home study

Bibliographic Data

ID20408444
AuthorsAnita S Hargrave (0000-0002-9717-5282, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA, corresponding author), Cheyenne M Garcia (0000-0002-6784-7260, UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA), Michael Lightfoot (0000-0001-5293-9755, Oregon Health & Science University), Marguerita Lightfoot (Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, OR, USA), Margaret A Handley (0000-0001-5034-2111, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA), John Weeks (0000-0003-1777-1656, UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA), Pamela Olsen (0000-0002-8445-2797, UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA), Kelly Ray Knight (0000-0002-5838-8592, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA), Margot Kushel (0000-0002-1361-6889, San Francisco General Hospital), Margot B Kushel (University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA)
Year2024
Volume33
Issue1
Pages103-111
Publication date2024-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Social Distress and the Homeless (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1053-0789 • E-ISSN: 1573-658X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10530789.2022.2080793
PMID38948456
OpenAlexW4281783610
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited27

Rates of homelessness among adults aged 50 and over are rising. Common strategies for exiting homelessness rely on social and family support. However, intergenerational trauma may disrupt these social support networks and contribute to homelessness. Understanding the impact of intergenerational trauma on living with family or friends may give insight into addressing homelessness among older adults. We purposefully sampled 46 adults who reported living with family or friends from the HOPE HOME study cohort (350 community-recruited adults, ≥ 50 years and experiencing homelessness in Oakland, California) and 19 family/friends who had hosted the participants in their living spaces. We conducted independent, semi-structured interviews and used grounded theory methodologies to analyze data. We identified four major themes from the interviews: (1) Intergenerational trauma was common and made it difficult to stay with family or friends; (2) Participants and hosts sought to protect future generations from intergenerational trauma; (3) Relationships endured despite intergenerational trauma; and (4) social structures exacerbated the impact of intergenerational trauma and played a significant role in perpetuating homelessness. Trauma-informed policies that confront the structures that propagate or exacerbate intergenerational trauma may mitigate their impact and facilitate housing for older adults

Cohort · Grounded theory · Psychiatry · Qualitative research · Social support · Sociology · Health disparities and outcomes · Homelessness and Social Issues · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Gerontology