Estratégias de adaptação à experiência de sem-abrigo

: um estudo de caso

Abstract

This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the strategies used by homeless people to adapt to this experience, more specifically, addressing the meanings attributed to social support and violent behavior. For this purpose, it was decided to carry out a single case study. This option was taken because it allows us to capture the complexity and idiosyncrasy of this situation, it is a representative case of the phenomenon under study and, furthermore, there was a prior and lasting relationship with the participant. Through qualitative methodology, it was analyzed a diary, made between january 2013 and april 2014, as well as field notes and semi-structured interviews, compiled between january and april 2015. The data was analyzed under the principles of Grounded Theory and using the Software NVivo10, a software for qualitative data analysis. The main results of this study pointed the duality associated with social support in the process of adaptation to street life, to the extent that both, isolation as social integration, accommodate adaptation functions. In addition, the data suggests that violent behavior is associated with increased self-esteem and the ability to survive to the adversity inherent to homelessness.

Date of Award	20 Jul 2015
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Maria do Carmo Carvalho (Supervisor) & Mariana Barbosa (Co-Supervisor)