Resilience and Psychopathology among Homeless Young Women Marina E. Mazur Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy under the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2018 © 2018 Marina E. Mazur All rights reserved ABSTRACT Resilience and Psychopathology among Homeless Young Women Marina Mazur The overall purpose of the present study is to contribute to a better understanding of the experiences of young homeless women residing at Covenant House New York, a youth shelter that provides crisis and long-term residential programs to young adults ages 18 – 21. The main objective was to identify past life events and their contributions to the development of positive traits and psychopathology among three groups. The participants were 162 homeless young women, including childfree women, young mothers enrolled at a transitional living Rights of Passage program (12-18 months), and young mothers in crisis enrolled in a 30-day Mother and Child Crisis program. Past life experiences were identified via the Effort to Outcome (ETO) online software database maintained by Covenant House New York. Rates of psychopathology were measured using the IIP (interpersonal problems), PHQ-9 (depression), GAD-7 (anxiety), PSS (parental stress) while rates of positive traits were measured using the SCS (self- compassion), SCBCS (compassion toward others), and PGIS (motivation to change). The results indicated that all participants, regardless of group affiliation, had similar life experiences, though childfree women were more likely to have a history of abandonment, physical abuse, and previous incidents of homelessness. Additionally, presence of abuse history was positively associated with development of psychopathology. As expected, history of sexual abuse was negatively associated with self-compassion, but it was positively associated with compassion toward others. Mothers at the Mother and Child Crisis program had greater rates of self- compassion than mothers at the Rights of Passage program, and childfree women were more likely than the mothers to be compassionate toward others. Mothers at the Mother and Child Crisis program were also more likely to be compassionate toward others than mothers at the Rights of Passage program. Childfree women, however, were more likely to be depressed than mothers at the Mother and Child Crisis program. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables iv Acknowledgments v Chapter I: Introduction and Literature Review 1 Pathways to Homelessness 1 Psychopathology 5 Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth 6 Purpose 9 Chapter II: Method 11 Setting 11 Participants and Procedure 12 Measures 14 Comparative Analyses 17 Data Analysis 18 Chapter III: Results 21 Demographic Information 21 Personal Characteristics 21 History of Homelessness 26 Legal History 28 Family History 30 i History of Negative Life Events 35 Effect of Previous Life Experiences on Positive and Negative Outcomes 41 Motivation to Change 41 Self-Compassion 45 Compassion toward Others 49 Interpersonal Problems 53 Depression 57 Anxiety 61 Parental Stress 65 Comparison of Positive & Negative Outcomes among Childfree & Parenting Women 7 2 Self-Compassion 72 Compassion toward Others 73 Motivation to Change 74 Interpersonal Problems 74 Depression 74 Anxiety 75 Parental Stress 77 Chapter IV: Discussion 80 Implications 86 Limitations and Future Research 89 References 91 Appendices 101 ii Appendix 1: Preliminary Information and Assent 101 Appendix 2: Self-Compassion Scale 103 Appendix 3: Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale 104 Appendix 4: Personal Growth Initiative Scale 105 Appendix 5: Inventory of Interpersonal Problems 106 Appendix 6: Patient Health Questionnaire 108 Appendix 7: Generalized Anxiety Disorder 109 Appendix 8: Parental Stress Scale 110 iii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Personal Characteristics 24 Table 2: History of Homelessness 27 Table 3: Legal History 29 Table 4: Family History 33 Table 5: History of Negative Life Events 37 Table 6: Demographic Information – Significant Results Only 39 Table 7: Contribution of Historical Factors to Motivation to Change 43 Table 8: Contribution of Historical Factors to Self-Compassion 47 Table 9: Contribution of Historical Factors to Compassion toward Others 51 Table 10: Contribution of Historical Factors to Interpersonal Problems 55 Table 11: Contribution of Historical Factors to Depression 59 Table12: Contribution of Historical Factors to Anxiety 63 Table 13: Contribution of Historical Factors to Parental Stress 66 Table14: Contribution of Historical Factors to Psychopathology and Resilience Variables 69 – Significant Results Only Table 15: Differences in Positive Variables and Psychopathology between All Samples 76 Table 16: Differences in Parental Stress between All Samples 78 iv AKNOWLEDGMENTS “Whenever one is confronted with an inescapable, unavoidable situation, whenever one has to face a fate that cannot be changed… What matters most of all is the attitude we take toward suffering.” - Viktor Frankl This dissertation is my way of paying tribute to the growth and resilience of the young women who generously agreed to participate in this study. Without their insights, dedication, and perseverance, this study would not have been possible. During our time together, they have taught me more than I had ever expected to learn about life and the human spirit. I am extremely grateful to my mentor and doctoral advisor, Dr. Lisa Miller, who has supported and guided me during my time in graduate school and whose commitment to disadvantaged populations and faith in my abilities as a clinician and a researcher propelled me forward through this lengthy process. Additionally, I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Marie Miville, Dr. Aurelie Athan, Dr. Elizabeth Owen, and Dr. Van Tran, who graciously contributed their experience, wisdom, and time to this project and provided many thoughtful and meaningful comments. I would also like to thank Alexandra Jordan who has been with me every step of the way and has been an invaluable friend and confidante. I am extremely grateful to my cohort-mates, Biagio, Erica, Chuck, Oscar, and Ashley. Thank you for making graduate school intellectually stimulating, enjoyable, and filling it with love, affection, and laughter. Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my family, specifically my mom, Yuliya, and my sister, Margarita, whose love and support have never wavered. Additionally, I am extremely grateful to my grandparents, Semen and Raya, as well as Luba, Christian, Emma, v and Lara. Thank you for being amazingly caring and loving, especially in the most difficult of circumstances. Lastly, I’d like to thank my closest friends, Diana and Natasha, without whom my life would not be the same. Thank you for always being there for me and for supporting me. vi