Smith ScholarWorks Theses, Dissertations, and Projects 2012 Homelessness as trauma : a theoretical analysis exploring treatment of symptoms of grief and loss in single African- American homeless women Jesse J. Dice Smith College Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Dice, Jesse J., "Homelessness as trauma : a theoretical analysis exploring treatment of symptoms of grief and loss in single African-American homeless women" (2012). Masters Thesis, Smith College, Northampton, MA. https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/854 This Masters Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations, and Projects by an authorized administrator of Smith ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Jesse J. Dice Homelessness As Trauma: A Theoretical Analysis Exploring Treatment of Symptoms of Grief And Loss in Single African- American Homeless Women ABSTRACT The purpose of this theoretical study was to explore and describe the trauma that single homeless African-American women are at risk for before and during homelessness. Grief and loss theory and attachment theory were used to bring attention to the need of addressing traumas during homelessness. Literature was reviewed relating to exploring the areas of cross-sectional identities of race, gender and socioeconomic status within this population, historical contexts of homelessness in the U.S., and homelessness as trauma, to analyze the language used to describe the barriers in receiving treatment as a single homeless African-American woman. Through exploring these topics and their relation to single homeless African-American women, it is noticed that much research pertaining to this population carries negative and pathological tones.