Distressing unusual experiences and beliefs in the lives of previously homeless individuals: a narrative analysis of the stories of white British men

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant characteristics.

Pseudonym	Gender	Age	Ethnicity	Overall length of time spent homeless	Length of time as a companion in charity accommodation
Martin	Male	38	White British	18 months	4.5 years
Robert	Male	55	White British	Approximately 16 years (sporadically)	First time: 2 years Second time: 3.5 months
Steve	Male	30	White British	9 years – Sofa surfing. 1 night rough sleeping.	9 months
Harvey	Male	39	White British	8–10 years sporadically	First time: 6 months Second time: 5 months
James	Male	39	White British	Sofa surfing homeless – 6 months total (across 6 years) Rough sleeping: 3 nights	5 weeks
Andrew	Male	43	White British	25 years – sporadic sofa surfing/rough sleeping	3 months

Table 2. Synthesised themes and subthemes across stories, from the Holistic-Content analysis.

Theme	Subthemes
Interpersonal Factors in sense making	Trauma, abuse and neglect
	Loss
	Judgemental attitudes
	Fitting in: isolation vs connection
	Relational Coping
Intrapersonal factors in sense making	Physical wellbeing
	Substance use
	Spiritual, Religious and Paranormal sense making
	Psychological safety, security and stability