Purpose. This qualitative study examines gender differences in the use of social capital over the life course of dual-diagnosed homeless adults. For this study, social capital is defined as the relationships that exist among people and their environment, within or outside of a family, that create norms, expectations, reciprocity, opportunities, and experiences. The study considers the types, quantity, and quality of social capital in the lives of these individuals prior to onset of mental illness and throughout treatment. In addition, this study considers how dual-diagnosed men and women use the negative or positive social capital available to them, paying particularly attention to gender differences.

Methods: The sample was comprised of all women interviewed in Phase 1 (N=7) of the NIMH-funded New York City Services Study and a demographically matched sample of men (N=7). Twenty-eight life history interviews (two per study participant) were conducted yielding life chart trajectories and transcripts that were coded and co-coded to produce open and axial codes using ATLAS/ti software. Grounded theory techniques were followed by social network analysis (SNA), which maps and measures relationships and connections between people and elements within their social environment.

Results. Findings indicate that both men and women had a greater number of negative than positive experiences related to their social capital. Themes included childhood and partner abuse, vulnerability to peer pressure re: substance use, and shrinking social networks due to mental illness and homelessness. Women's experiences with social capital were stronger and more complex, often centered around a female family connection, such as a mother or a sister, an intimate partner, or peer relationships established during treatment. Social capital for the men, on the other hand, was situational and transitory, involving non-kin males in similar circumstances. In addition, the study found that women made better use of their available positive social capital, especially during and after treatment for substance abuse.

Implications. Qualitative methods are valuable in examining the types and qualities of social capital that are helpful as well as those that have proven harmful. This study has the capacity to inform service delivery by enabling providers to better understand the role of social capital among dual-diagnosed individuals and other vulnerable populations.