Interventions to improve interpersonal relationships among homeless individuals: A scoping review

Social support can be important for individuals experiencing homelessness who often have fragile or absent social networks. However, there is limited research on interventions to improve social support or interpersonal effectiveness in this population. A scoping review was conducted, in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and with a protocol registered with the Open Science Framework, of qualitative and quantitative studies that reported outcomes of interventions focused on improving social support in homeless populations. The initial search yielded 5,534 studies, and 19 studies met full inclusion criteria. Ten of the included studies reported results from interventions designed to treat an adult parent-child relationship; there were no studies of interventions targeting adult parent-adult child relationships. The remaining nine studies evaluated interventions targeting social skills of homeless or unstably housed adults or families. In terms of study design, seven studies were randomized trials, one was a nonrandomized trial, three were qualitative, four were quantitative/pre-post designs, one was mixed methods, two were descriptive/observational, and one was a case study. All 19 studies evaluated a different social support or family therapy intervention. Family functioning or general social skills were often secondary to outcomes of treatment compliance and housing stability. These findings offer insights into general social skills building in homeless populations, but future research is needed on interventions that target rebuilding estranged adult relationships, which might serve as a buffer against housing instability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).