Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112262

Lorraine McMullin, BA, Policy Research Associates, 345 Delaware Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054, (518) 439-7415, ext. 223, lmcmullin@prainc.com and Laura Holly Pennington, c/o Lorraine McMullin, PRA, Homeless Families Initiative, 345 Delaware Avenue, Delmar`, NY 12054.

The SAMHSA funded Homeless Families Initiative evaluated programs for mother who were homeless with dependent children and had mental illness and/or substance abuse backgrounds. In this study ninety-four percent of mothers reported lifetime exposure to trauma at baseline, with three-quarters reporting physical violence and over half reporting sexual violence perpetrated by a family member or someone known to them. This high level of reported trauma exposure confirms data gathered in earlier studies of mothers who are homeless. This session will discuss the rates of continuing trauma exposure by mothers following reported at 3-month, 9-month and 15 month data collection points. The implications of continued exposure to trauma on the lives of mothers' attempting to stabilize their lives and families will be outlined and discussed in terms of issues to consider in delivering services that are trauma informed and effective. Lorraine McMullin is a researcher on the Homeless Families Initiative and a consumer on the SAMHSA Homeless Families Consumer Panel.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Participants will be able to describe the prevalence and impact of several types of traumatic violence and victimization in a national sample of homeless mothers.
• 2. Participants will be able to articulate the implications continued traumatization on mothers transitioning from homelessness to housing stability. mental illness and substance abuse for treatment engagement and participation.
• 3. Participants will be able to discuss recommendations how the knowledge of the prevalence of continued trauma exposure in the lives of mothers who are or have been homeless could be incorporated in to program design.

Keywords: Homeless, Women

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation