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Objective To learn how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impacted the life course trajectory of formerly homeless and at‐risk African American women. Design Intersectionality and life course theory informed this qualitative pilot study, based on an instrumental case study design. Sample Forty previously homeless and at‐risk African American women, who were graduates from a long‐term transitional living facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Measurements Focus group interviews and one individual interview provided data about participants’ life experiences prior to, during, and following their time at the transitional living facility, which provided supportive wrap‐around services. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and line‐by‐line thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes. Fifteen focus group participants also completed ACE questionnaires. Results Participants reported a high prevalence of multiple ACEs, and three themes were identified: childhood experiences with family conflict, childhood experiences of abuse, and negative coping mechanisms. One‐hundred percent of women had experienced at least one ACE, based on ACE questionnaire responses. Conclusions ACEs affect various parts of patient's lives as adults. For nurses and other healthcare professionals, connecting with community resources provides the opportunity to strategically approach health improvement with wrap‐around resources to improve health outcomes.

Women experiencing homelessness who are also survivors of violence require uniquely tailored programs to accommodate complex needs. To understand how violence shaped the lives of formerly homeless African American women, an instrumental case study design and community-based participatory research approach was utilized in this qualitative study. Focus group interviews with graduates ( N = 40) from a long-term transitional housing program were conducted. Using thematic analysis, identified themes included: cycles of violence, violence in the community, relationships with children, and coping with violence. These themes illustrated survivors’ growth through supportive programming and highlighted services dedicated to empowering women who have experienced violence.

The purpose of this theoretical article is to analyze the utility of postcolonial and Indigenous feminist frameworks in informing nursing research and practice specific to addressing intimate partner violence (IPV) in the lives of Indigenous women. Prevailing feminist narratives of the 20th century focused overwhelmingly on patriarchy as the sole source of oppression against women and root cause of IPV. These narratives failed to consider the complex historical ways in which patriarchy intersected with colonialism and racism to produce violence, affecting the contemporary realities of Indigenous women. In contrast, postcolonial and Indigenous feminist frameworks consider the colonial history that has disempowered Indigenous women and their nations over centuries of settler occupation. Situating IPV within historical, legal, social, and political contexts can unmask how current research and health care discourses may continue to constrain, rather than improve, access, care, and services for Indigenous victims of IPV.

African American women are at higher risk of poor mental ill health compared with other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. For low‐income and homeless African American populations, the risk of poor mental ill health is even higher. The purpose of our study was to learn what programmes at a long‐term transitional living centre helped at‐risk and homeless African American mothers to succeed on their own, in accordance with self‐identified goals. We conducted ten focus group interviews with 39 graduates of a long‐term transitional living centre located in a Midwestern city, and an individual interview with the founder of that centre (N = 40). Our study was informed by Black Feminist Thought, Life Course Theory, and an instrumental case study design. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns in the qualitative data collected. Findings pertaining to mental health included impacts of adverse childhood experiences, lack of social networks, child placement in foster care, and implications on self‐esteem and self‐worth. Our findings demonstrate the need for healthcare providers to take into account the intersecting factors facing African American women experiencing homelessness undergirded by systemic racism, which impacts their mental health and well‐being.