Women in a situation of homelessness and violence: a single-case study using the photo-elicitation technique

BMC Womens Health. 2021 May 22;21(1):216. doi: 10.1186/s12905-021-01353-x.

Abstract

Background: Violence against women places them in a vulnerable position with regard to homelessness. Although sometimes invisible, women's homelessness is a complex reality shrouded in dramatic biographies that should be sensitively addressed to avoid revictimization.

Methods: With the aim of understanding the chaotic discourse of homeless women's experiences of violence, a qualitative single-case study was conducted using the photo-elicitation technique. Data were analyzed in accordance with grounded theory.

Results: The participant's discourse could be summarized in the following categories: "Living in a spiral of violence", "Confronting vulnerability and violence", "Being a strong woman", "New family networks", "Re-building mother-child relationships", and "Nurturing spiritual wellbeing".

Conclusions: Supporting homelessness women requires an approach that focuses on the prevention of re-victimization and the consequences of violence in terms of physical and mental health. Shelters are spaces of care for recovery and represent referential elements for the re-construction of self.

Keywords: Adaptation; Gender-based violence; Homeless persons; Psychological; Single-case study.

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Crime Victims*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Ill-Housed Persons*
  • Mental Health
  • Social Problems
  • Violence