Boredom and homelessness: A scoping review

Background: Emerging literature suggests that boredom is a frequent problem experienced by homeless persons that may influence their health and well-being. Purpose: The range and breadth of literature exploring boredom among homeless persons is unknown. We initiated this study to fill this gap in existing literature. Method: Using the method advanced by Arksey and O’Malley (2005), and furthered by Levac, Colquhoun and O’Brien (2010), we carried out a scoping review to identify the range and breadth of literature exploring boredom among homeless persons. Two independent raters screened titles and abstracts and evaluated full-text articles against a set of inclusion/exclusion criteria established by all authors. A descriptive analysis and inductive narrative synthesis were performed. Findings: Our search yielded 4536 citations following the removal of duplicates. A total of 17 articles were included in our descriptive analysis and narrative synthesis. Five themes emerged from the included studies: Boredom as a feature of the homeless experience; Coping with boredom; Impact of boredom; Environment as a determinant of boredom; and Interventions for boredom. Only two of the included articles focused on boredom as a central construct, with all others identifying boredom as an experience of homeless persons while investigating related phenomena. Implications: Boredom is a critical topic of study for occupational science, and specifically as it relates to disadvantaged populations. Future research exploring the specific impacts of boredom on homeless persons, and research identifying and evaluating interventions to effectively reduce boredom in this population are needed.