Abstract: “They Never Raised Me up:" Dual Experiences of Teenage Parenting and Homelessness Among Native Hawaiian Youth (Society for Social Work and Research 22nd Annual Conference - Achieving Equal Opportunity, Equity, and Justice)

Schedule:

Friday, January 12, 2018: 9:45 AM

Monument (ML 4) (Marriott Marquis Washington DC)

* noted as presenting author

Elizabeth Aparicio, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, MD

Andrea Birmingham, MSW, Research Assistant, University of Hawai`i, Honolulu, HI

Eri Rodrigues, MSW, Research Assistant, University of Hawai`i, Honolulu, HI

Carla Houser, MSW, Program Manager, Waikiki Health-Youth Outreach (YO!), Honolulu, HI

Background: Teenage parenting is a challenging venture - particularly when parenting while homeless. Homeless youth are exposed to a myriad of stressors and, in many cases, violence as children or adolescents. The present study explores in-depth through case-based analysis the lived experiences of three young homeless and parenting teens with extensive histories of childhood trauma.

Methods: Three (N=3) participants were enrolled through a community-based agency serving homeless and at-risk youth. Participants were aged 18-19 years and had experienced (or their partner had experienced) one or more pregnancies and were currently parenting. Each participant was individually interviewed in a quiet, private location. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and checked prior to analysis. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) proceeded through six steps: reading and re-reading the transcript, initial noting, development of emergent themes, development of superordinate themes, and, after repeating this process for all three transcripts, development of a set of final themes and subthemes.

Results: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) revealed three themes that how youth experience parenting as a teen while homeless. For all participants, parenting while homeless came in the wake of childhood and adolescent trauma. Themes included: 1) They Never Raised Me Up (childhood experiences); 2) Becoming Mommy and Daddy (early experiences of teenage pregnancy and parenting while homeless); and 3) Finding Our Place (current experiences of teenage parenting and perspectives on teen pregnancy and homelessness).

Conclusions and Implications: Findings suggest early trauma and familial homelessness create a context for ongoing risk through adolescence, which is complicated by the birth of and need to care for an infant. Homeless families need not only trauma-informed housing services, but a range of mental health, substance abuse, educational, and economic services in order to mitigate risk and enhance opportunity in these highly challenging circumstances. Implications for direct practice, for social policy, and for future research are discussed in the context of this complex reality.