Mothering in public: a meta-synthesis of homeless women with children living in shelters.

ISSUES AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the current qualitative literature on homeless women with children living in shelters. METHODS: Eighteen qualitative studies on homeless women with children living in shelters were included in the synthesis. The meta-synthesis was conducted using the meta-ethnographic approach of Noblit and Hare (1988). RESULTS: Six reciprocal translations (themes) of homeless mothers caring for their children in shelters emerged: On becoming homeless, protective mothering, loss, stressed and depressed, survival strategies, and strategies for resolution. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The results may be used by healthcare workers as a framework for developing intervention strategies directed toward helping mothers find new solutions to dealing with shelter living and innovative ways to resolve their homelessness.