A multiple-family group intervention for homeless families: the weekend retreat.

In the past 15 to 20 years, the number of homeless people in the United States has increased dramatically. It is estimated that from 700,000 to approximately 2 million people experience homelessness during one year (National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, 1999). Homelessness among families with children continues to increase nationally and is among the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. It has been estimated that families with children now account for 40 percent of the population who become homeless (Shinn & Weitzman, 1996). According to the Children's Defense Fund (2000), the number of children who are homeless on any given night ranges from 61,500 to 500,000. Epidemiological research on homeless children indicates a number of problem areas in terms of physical and psychological symptomatology and social functioning. Past research acknowledged that at-risk children (specifically homeless children and children in poverty) may suffer higher rates of physical ailments, anxiety, depression, insecurities, emotional and learning problems, behavioral problems, lower self-esteem, and stress (Bassuk, Rubin, & Lauriat, 1986; Brandwein, 1986; Davey, 1998; Johnson & Kreuger, 1989; Weitzman, Shinn, & Knickman, 1989). A Florida study (Davey) indicated that more than two-thirds of the homeless children studied scored in the clinical range for emotional adjustment, social functioning, and deviant behavior. At a theoretical level, a family's entrance into the shelter is viewed as characterized by decreasing interpersonal responsiveness, increasing passivity, and increasing dependence on others outside the family system (Grunberg & Eagle, 1990). Family boundaries are often fragmented, and parents' roles become ambiguous (Ziefert & Brown, 1991). People providing assistance may usurp parents' duties (Ziefert & Brown). Living in a shelter can be stressful for children (Davey, 1998), who may watch their parents become less able to fulfill the roles of caretakers, providers, and protectors (Moroz & Segal, 1990). As indicated in the literature, the disruption of familial roles and expectations as a result of being homeless has negative consequences for familial functioning and children's mental health outcomes, particularly behavioral problems. I propose an intervention targeting role clarification and communication to improve familial functioning and decrease the frequency of children's behavior problems. RATIONALE FOR INTERVENTION Multiple-family groups (MFGs) have been proposed as a responsive intervention modality for low-income, ethnic minority children and families given their increased risk of psychopathology (Aponte, Zarski, Bixenstene, & Cibik, 1991, Boyd-Franklin, 1993; McKay, Gonzales, Stone, Ryland, & Kohner, 1995). MFGs are problem focused and interactionaUy oriented within and among family units (McKay et al.). A family-systems perspective has guided the development of MFGs, in which the basic unit of analysis is not an individual, but the entire system (Breunlin, Schwartz, & Karrer, 1993; McKay et al.; Tolan, Florsheim, McKay, & Kohner, 1993). The MFG approach is viewed as providing a source of support, encouragement, and empowerment for these families, through which adults can learn skills in parenting, respectful communication, improving decision-making abilities, and managing stress. Having parents and their children meet together to share information, address common concerns, or develop supportive networks can be an efficient and effective means of providing family mental health services (McKay et al., 1995). Typically, MFGs involve four to five families, with the total size of the group ranging from 10 to 22 members (McKay et al.).Generally, group meetings are held weekly for 90 minutes and are cofacilitated by a male and female therapist. Although children and parents may be separated into subgroups during sessions, the focus is on having the parents and their children participate together for the majority of the time. …