Abstracts
Abstract
The experiences of justice-involved homeless women (JIHW) and the meanings they attach to these experiences are integral to their present and future identities. However, the ways individuals perceive and interpret their experiences are deeply embedded within cultural context, suggesting that certain experiences –and the social meanings attached to them –may play a central role in identity construction. Contemporary research has shown that individual characteristics subject to stigma can profoundly shape meaning-making processes essential to identity construction. For example, homelessness often leads to stigmatizing that may influence how individuals define themselves. In this qualitative study, the life narratives of five JIHW engaged in the dual process of exiting homelessness and desisting crime were analyzed to identify how they describe the influence of their traumatic experiences in the construction of their identity. The analysis shows that JIHW go through five identity positions asthey cope with traumatic experiences. Identity work articulated through these positions highlights how developing the capacity to make sense of traumatic experiences can support a clearer understanding of the self, which in turn can foster housingstabilization and desisting from crime.
Keywords:
- Women,
- Narrative identity,
- Traumatic experience,
- Desisting from crime,
- Housing stabilitzation,
- meaning-making
Download the article in PDF to read it. Download
Appendices
Bibliography
- Adler, J. M., Lodi-Smith, J., Philippe, F. L. & Houle, I. (2016). The incremental validity of narrative identity in predicting well-being: A review of the field and recommendations for the future. Personality and Social Psychology Review 20(2), 142–175. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868315585068
- Andermann, A., Mott, S., Mathew, C. M., Kendall, C., Mendonca, O., Harriott, D., McLellan, A., Riddle, A., Saad, A., Iqbal., W., Magwood, O. & Pottie, K. (2021). Interventions fondées sur des données probantes et pratiques exemplaires en matière de soutien apporté aux femmes en situation ou à risque d’itinérance: Examen de la portée avec analyse fondée sur le sexe et l’équité. Gouvernement du Canada. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.41.1.01f
- Atkinson, R. (2007). The life story interview as a bridge in narrative inquiry. In D. J. Clandinin (Ed.), Handbook of narrative inquiry: Mapping a methodology (pp. 224–245). Sage Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452226552.n9
- Bauer, J. J., Graham, L. E., Lauber, E. A. & Lynch, B. P. (2019). What growth sounds like: Redemption, self-improvement, and eudaimonic growth across different life narratives in relation to well-being. Journal of Personality, 87(3), 546–565. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12414
- Becker, G. (1997). Disrupted lives: How people create meaning in a chaotic world. University of California Press
- Bellot, C. & Rivard, J. (2017). Repenser l’itinérance au féminin dans le cadre d’une recherche participative. Criminologie, 50 (2), 95-121. https://doi.org/10.7202/1041700ar
- Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
- Brunelle, N., F.-Dufour, I., Couture-Dubé, R., Carpentier, J. & Hamel, S. (2024). Désistement et (ré)intégration sociocommunautaire. In I. F.-Dufour, N. Brunelle, R. Couture-Dubé and D. Henry (Eds.), Désistement et (ré)intégration sociocommunautaire : l’expérience de jeune judiciarisées de 16 à 35 ans (pp.19-26). Presses de l’Université du Québec. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book.124913.
- Bruner, J. (1990). Culture and human development: A new look. Human development, 33(6), 344-355.
- Colombo, A. (2015). S’en sortir quand ont vit dans la rue : trajectoires de jeune en quête de reconnaissance. Presses de l’Université du Québec. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book41805
- Desrosiers, A. & MacDonald, S.-A. (2025). « Battre des ailes comme un colibri ». Paradoxes du croisement des (in)visibilités dans l’itinérance et la santé mentale des femmes. In J. Rivard and E. Greissler, Penser l’itinérance au féminin (pp.196-217). Presses de l’Université du Québec. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book.141155
- Dupuis, A. & Thorns, D. C. (1998). Home, Home ownership and the search for ontological security. The Sociological Review, 46(1), 24–47. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-954X.00088
- Edalati, H., Nicholls, T. L., Schütz, C. G., Somers, J. M., Distasio, J., Aubry, T. & Crocker, A. G. (2020). Examining the relationships between cumulative childhood adversity and the risk of criminal justice involvement and victimization among homeless adults with mental illnesses after receiving housing first intervention. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 65(6), 409–417. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743720902616
- Flynn, C., Petrucci, G., Côté, P.-B., Galant, J. & Renard-Robert, G. (2025). « C’était une relation violente, mais je n’avais pas de place où coucher ». Les violences dans les relations intimes chez les femmes en situation d’itinérance. In J. Rivard and E. Greissler, Penser l’itinérance au féminin (pp.196-217). Presses de l’Université du Québec. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book.141155
- Fiorelli, C., Chaxel, S. & Moity Maïzi, P. (2014). Les récits de vie: Outils pour la compréhension et catalyseurs pour l’action. Interrogrations?, 17, 1-14. https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal- 01189838
- Fontaine, A. & Ségouin, F. (2024). Agir. In S. MacDonald (Ed.), L’itinérance au Québec: Réalités, ruptures et citoyenneté (pp.167-210). Presses de l’Université du Québec. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book.129956.
- Fortin, M.-F. & Gagnon, J. (2015). Fondements et étapes du processus de recherche: Méthodes quantitatives et qualitatives (3rd ed.). Chenelière Éducation.
- Fournier, V., Simard, M.-C., Fontaine, A. & Jobin, G. (2022). Le portrait de l’itinérance au Canada. In V. Fournier, M.-C. Simard, A. Fontaine and G. Jobin (Eds.), Être mère en contexte d’itinérance (pp. 1-6). Presses de l’Université du Québec. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book99535.
- García-Valverde, E., Picado-Valverde, E., Yurrebaso Macho, A. & Guzmán-Ordaz, R. (2025). Risk factors in women experiencing homelessness from an ecological and intersectional perspective: A systematic review. International Social Work, 68(5), 862-879. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728251336953
- Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and self-identity: Self and society in the late modern age. Polity Press.
- Godbout, N., Girard, M., Milot, T., Collin-Vézina, D. & Hébert, M. (2018). Répercussions liées aux traumas complexes. In N. Godbout, T. Milot and D. Collin-Vézina (Eds.), Trauma complexe: Comprendre, évaluer et intervenir (pp. 57–90). Presses de l’Université du Québec. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv28683g.7
- Gonyea, J. G. & Melekis, K. (2017). Older homeless women’s identity negotiation: Agency, resistance, and the construction of a valued self. Sociological Review, 65(1), 67-82. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-954X.12369
- Greissler, E. (2025). Faire parler les silences. Entre l’invisible et l’indicible. Que révèle le contenu implicite des récits de vie de femmes en situation d’itinérance ? In J. Rivard and E. Greissler (Eds.), Penser l’itinérance au féminin (pp.196-217). Presses de l’Université du Québec. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book.141155
- Habermas, T. & Bluck, S. (2000). Getting a life: The emergence of the life story in adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 126(5), 748–769. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.126.5.748
- Hammond, S. P., Young, J. & Duddy, C. (2020). Life story work for children and young people with care experience: A scoping review. Developmental Child Welfare, 2(4), 293–315. https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220985872
- Henwood, B. F., Redline, B., Semborski, S., Rhoades, H., Rice, E. & Wenzel, S. L. (2018). What’s next? A theory on identity preservation for young adults in supportive housing. Cityscape, 20(3), 87–100.
- Herman, J.L. (2015). Trauma and recovery. The aftermath of violence – from domestic abuse to political terror (3rd ed.). Basic Books.
- Hocken, K., Taylor, J. & Walton, J. (2022). Trauma and the experience of imprisonment. In P. Willmot and L. Jones (Eds.), Trauma-Informed Forensic Practice (pp. 298-315). Routledge.
- Langellier, K. M. & Peterson, E. E. (2004). Storytelling in daily life. Temple University Press. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/2519
- La rue des Femmes. (2025). Penser l’itinérance au féminin… Soigner et guérir l’état d’itinérance. In J. Rivard and E. Greissler (Eds.), Penser l’itinérance au féminin (pp.267-282). Presses de l’Université du Québec. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book.141155
- Latimer, E. & Bordeleau, F. (2019). Dénombrement des personnes en situation d’itinérance au Québec le 24 avril 2018. Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. https://publications.msss.gouv.qc.ca/msss/fichiers/2018/18-846-10W.pdf
- Low, G. & Mills, A. (2024). “A safe place to be happy and content”: Housing and ‘home’ in women’s desistance. Feminist Criminology, 20(1), 24-46. https://doi.org/10.1177/15570851241246846
- Marcotte, J., Richard, M.-C., F.-Dufour, I. & Plourde, C. (2023). Les récits de vie des jeunes placés: Vécu traumatique, stratégies pour y faire face et vision d’avenir. Criminologie, 56 (1), 163–186. https://doi.org/10.7202/1099010ar
- Maruna, S. & Liem, M. (2021). Where is this story going? A critical analysis of the emerging field of narrative. Criminology. 4(1), 125–146. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-criminol-061020-021757
- Maruna S. & Roy K. (2007). Amputation or reconstruction? Notes on the concept of “knifing off” and desistance from crime. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 23(1), 104–124. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986206298
- McAdams, D. P. (1985). Power, intimacy, and the life story: Personological Inquiries into identity. The Dorsey Press.
- McAdams, D. P. (1992). Unity and purpose in human lives: The emergence of identity as a life story. In R. A. Zucker, A. I. Rabin, J. Aronoff and S. J. Frank (Eds.), Personality structure in the life course: Essays on personology in the Murray tradition (pp. 323–375). Springer Publishing Company.
- McAdams, D. P. (2003). Identity and the life story. In R. Fivush and C. A. Haden (Eds.), Autobiographical memory and the construction of a narrative self: Developmental and cultural perspectives (pp. 187–207). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
- McAdams, D. P. (2008). Personal narratives and the life story. In O. P. John, R. W. Robins and L. A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (3rd ed.), pp. 242–262). The Guilford Press.
- McAdams, D. P. & McLean, K. C. (2013). Narrative identity. Current Directions Psychological Science, 22(3), 233-238. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721413475622
- McCarthy, B. & Hagan, J. (2024). Homelessness, offending, victimization, and criminal legal system contact. Annual Review of Criminology, 7, 257–281. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-criminol-022422-020934
- McCarthy, L. (2015). (Re)negociating the self: Homeless women’s constructions of home. Homelessness and identity Doctoral thesis, Sheffield Hallam University]. SHURA. https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/11000
- McLean, K. C. (2005). Late adolescent identity development: Narrative meaning making and memory telling. Developmental Psychology, 41(4), 683–691.
- McLean, K. C. (2008). The emergence of narrative identity. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2(4), 1685-1702. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2008.00124.x
- McLean, K. C. & Pasupathi, M. (2010). Narrative development in adolescence: creating the storied self. Springer.
- McNeill, F. & Schinkel, M. (2024). Tertiary or relational desistance: Contested belonging. International Journal of Criminal Justice, 6(1) 47-74. https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/325771/
- Milaney, K., William, N., Lockerbie, S. L., Dutton, D. J. & Hyshka, E. (2020). Recognizing and responding to women experiencing homelessness with gendered and trauma-informed care. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-8353-1.
- Moffet-Bourassa, M. & F.-Dufour, I. (2024). Women’s homelessness and the justice system: A study of desistance and social (re)integration among Canadian women who used or did not use criminal activities to survive. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 51(9), 1299-1469. https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548241249610
- Nelson, J. (2016). Using conceptual depth criteria: Addressing the challenge of reaching saturation in qualitative research. Qualitative Research, 17(5), 554–570. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794116679873
- Österman, L. (2019). Structural ‘ladders’ and the female path to desistance. Comparative lessons from Sweden and England. In S. Farrall (Ed.), The architecture of desistance (pp. 55-74). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429461804
- Parazelli, M. (2002). La rue attractive. Parcours et pratiques identitaires des jeunes de la rue. Presses de l’Université du Québec. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book.20128
- Petrich, D. M. & Lee, H. (2024). Gender, narrative identity, and desistance. In S. L. Browning, L. C. Butler and C. L. Jonson (Eds.), Gender and Crime: Contemporary Theoretical Perspectives (pp. 155-179). Routledge. https://doi-org.acces.bibl.ulaval.ca/10.4324/9781003305040
- Petrillo, M. (2023). Women, trauma, and journeys towards desistance: Navigating the labyrinth. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003202325
- Phipps, M., Dalton, L., Maxwell, H. & Cleary, M. (2019). Women and homelessness, a complex multidimensional issue: Findings from a scoping review. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, 28(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10530789.2018.1534427
- Preece, J., Garratt, E. & Flaherty, J. (2020). Living through continuous displacement: Resisting homeless identities and remaking precarious lives. Geoforum, 116, 140–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2020.08.008
- Pressley, J. & Smith, R. (2017). No ordinary life: Complex narratives of trauma and resilience in under-resourced communities. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma, 26(2), 137–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2016.1246500
- Racette, E. H., Fowler, C. A., Faith, L. A., Geis, B. D. & Rempfer, M. V. (2021). Characteristics of trauma among women experiencing homelessness: An exploratory cluster analysis. North American Journal of Psychology, 23(4), 569-582.
- Ricoeur, P. (1988). L’identité narrative. Esprit (1940-), 295-304.
- Riessman, C. K. (2008). Narrative methods for the human sciences. Sage Publications.
- Schwan, K., Vaccaro, M.-E., Reid, L., Ali, N. & Baig, K. (2021). L’enquête pancanadienne sur le besoin en logement et l’itinérance chez les femmes (9 781 550 146 806). Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.
- Sharpe, G. (2022). Female offending during adolescence and emerging adulthood. In S. L. Brown and L. Gelsthorpe (Eds.), The wiley handbook on what works with girls and women in conflict with the law. A critical review of theory, practice, and policy (pp. 295-306). Wiley Blackwell. https://doi-org.acces.bibl.ulaval.ca/10.1002/9781119874898
- Toolis, E. E. & Hammack, P. L. (2015). The lived experience of homeless youth: A narrative approach. Qualitative Psychology, 2 (1), 50–68. https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000019
- Utting, E. & Woodall, T. (2022). From care to custody? In P. Willmot and L. Jones. (Eds.), Trauma-informed forensic practice (pp. 93-110). Routledge. https://doi-org.acces.bibl.ulaval.ca/10.4324/9781003120766
- Van der Kolk, B., McFarlane, A.C. & Weisaeth, L. (1996). Traumatic stress: The effects of overwhelming experience on mind, body, and society. Guilford Press.
- Villeneuve, M.-P., F.-Dufour, I., Couture-Dubé, R. & Isabel, A. (2024). Désistement du crime et changements identitaires : point de vue de jeunes judiciarisés. In I. F.-Dufour, N. Brunelle, R. Couture-Dubé and D. Henry (Eds.), Désistement et (ré)integration sociocommunautaire : l’expérience de jeunes judiciarisés de 16 à 35 ans (pp.45-73). Presses de l’Université du Québec. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book.124913.
- Waters, T. E. A. & Fivush, R. (2015). Relations between narrative coherence, identity, and psychological well-being in emerging adulthood. Journal of Personality, 83(4), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12120
- Williams, J. C. (2003). Meanings and myths of homelessness: Homeless women speak. In J. C. William (Ed.), “A roof over my head”: Homeless women and the shelter industry (pp.133-150). University Press of Colorado.
- Winetrobe, H., Wenzel, S., Rhoades, H., Henwood, B., Rice, E. & Harris, T. (2017). Differences in health and social support between homeless men and women entering permanent supportive housing. Women’s Health Issues, 27(3), 286-293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2016.12.011
- Yin, R.K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
10.7202/1041700ar