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Needs and Problems of Adolescent Orphans at Governmental Residential Institutions in Alexandria
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Background: Smoking is a significant public health concern with detrimental effects on overall well-being. Vulnerable populations, such as institutionalized adolescent orphans, may face unique challenges that contribute to higher rates of smoking initiation and maintenance. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of smoking among institutionalized adolescent orphans in Patna, Bihar, and identify associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among institutionalized adolescent orphans aged 13-18 years in Patna, Bihar. A structured questionnaire was administered to collect data on smoking behavior, demographics, initiation age, frequency of smoking, duration, reasons for smoking, exposure to tobacco advertising, knowledge about the harmful effects of smoking, and previous attempts to quit. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and subgroup analyses. Results: A total of 250 institutionalized adolescent orphans participated in the study. The overall prevalence of smoking was found to be 17%. Male participants exhibited a higher prevalence of smoking (22%) compared to females (11%). The prevalence increased with age, with the highest rates observed among the 17-18 years age group. Exposure to tobacco advertising and peer pressure were identified as influential factors associated with smoking initiation. A considerable proportion of smokers reported a lack of awareness about the harmful effects of smoking. Previous attempts to quit smoking were reported by 25% of smokers. Conclusion: The study highlights a significant prevalence of smoking among institutionalized adolescent orphans in Patna, Bihar. Gender, age, exposure to tobacco advertising, peer pressure, and lack of awareness were identified as important factors associated with smoking behavior in this population. The findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions and policies addressing these factors to reduce smoking rates and improve the overall well-being of institutionalized adolescent orphans. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of specific interventions and to explore additional factors influencing smoking behavior in this context
Background
Orphan children living in orphanages are often neglected. These children's physical and mental health status is essential as they are highly prone to malnourishment and psychosocial distress. We aim to evaluate the orphan children's physical and psychosocial status living in orphanages.
Methods
This study adopted a cross-sectional research design conducted with the children living in the orphanages using a pretested, predesigned schedule. A total of 83 children (aged 5 to 19 years) living in three different orphanages in the Sonitpur District of Assam were randomly selected for the study. Body Mass Index (BMI) for age and height were then determined using WHO standards. Thinness was defined as BMI for age below -2 SD (Standard Deviation) and thinness as height for age below -2 SD. The behavioural and mental status of children aged 10–19 years were evaluated using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-21) with a cut-off value of SDQ score > 15 as the presence of emotional and behavioural distress.
Results
Almost 50% of orphans were in the age group of 10–14 years, 62.7% were females, and 42.2% had a primary level of education. 52.5% of orphans exhibited severe thinness for < -3 SD. Observed severe thinness more among the 5–9 years and 10–14 years ( p -value < 0.05) group and among the male orphans ( p -value < 0.05). Of 65 children aged 10–19, 18.5% had behavioural and mental distress. Emotional (32.3%) and poor conduct problems (23%) were observed significantly among male adolescents.
Conclusions
Orphaned children, particularly those living in orphanages, are at risk of malnutrition and experience behavioural and psychosocial problems. Frequent assessments of their physical and mental health are advocated for early detection, prevention, and timely intervention.
Orphans and vulnerable children fall under the category of children who are at risk of exposure to more stressful circumstances and receive less social assistance compared to other children. This study aims to investigate the impact of group counseling based on social intervention and psychological therapy (SSGPC) on social support and the perceived stress growth of orphans and vulnerable children. In one special educational needs school in Nanning, China, the SSGPC was developed and implemented. Using the social support and post-stress growth scales, the researchers investigated the effects of SSGPC on orphans and vulnerable children. Twenty-seven orphans and vulnerable children between the ages of nine and 12 were arbitrarily assigned to the experimental and control groups. A pre-test post-test method of quasi-experimental design was applied, with 13 participants in the experimental group and 14 in the control group. The results revealed that the intervention group had significantly higher scores for social support and post-stress growth than the control group. The SSGPC had significantly improved the levels of social support for orphans. The findings indicated that the SSGPC provided an effective way to improve social support and post-stress growth of orphans and vulnerable children.
Background: Children living under institutional care are more prone to behavioral and emotional problems than others, as they are deprived a family environment. There a more number of studies focusing the mental health problems of children under institutional care in India. Aims & Objectives: This was a descriptive study which explores the behavioral and emotional problems of children’s under institutional care. Material & Methods: The sample consisted of 50 children living under institutional care run by voluntary run institutional homes (private individuals) in Coimbatore city. A semi structure questionnaire was used to get the socio demographic data. The Self Report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were used to assess the behavioral problems in children under institutional care. Results: In our study, 21 (42%) out of 50 children were found to be having behavioral problems. Conduct problem and peer pressure (42%) were found to be most prevalent followed by emotional problem (34%), hyperactivity (24%) and low prosocial behavior (14%). Conclusion: The children under institutional care are vulnerable to conduct, peer pressure and emotional problems.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychosocial problems of orphan children in public primary schools. The study is based on a mixed-type research design focusing on both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. A total of 73 participants were involved in the study. Fifty-five orphaned students who were participated in filling the questionnaires were selected using simple random sampling technique while six orphaned children, nine teachers and three non-governmental officials were participated in the interview were selected through purposive sampling technique. To analyze the data descriptive statistics, mean score and standard deviation was calculated to determine the psychosocial problems of orphan children. One sample t-test also computed to see whether there was statistical significance different between the expected and actual mean scores at the t-value on the psychosocial problems of orphan children. Data collected through interview was presented and analyzed thematically. The results revealed that orphan children were exposed to diverse psychological problems, economical, social related problems and exhibited in problematic behaviors that tremendously affect their education and life in general. Considering the results, it was recommended that stakeholders, teachers and caregivers should establish a support system at different levels and play a major role to fulfill the psychosocial needs of orphan children.
Background
The emergence of a large population of orphaned youth in sub-Saharan Africa is due to the natural maturity of orphaned children. Research indicates that orphaned youth face more negative psychosocial challenges than their younger counterparts do. Furthermore, these challenges are intensified for early school leavers. This paper describes how experiencing maternal death affects the psychosocial wellbeing of orphaned youth who left school before completing high school.
Methods
An exploratory qualitative study was undertaken among purposively sampled orphaned youth using in-depth interviews with open-ended questions. Fifty participants were recruited through social workers, community based organisations, and tribal authorities in a rural local municipality of Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. All data analyses were performed using NVivo10, following an inductive thematic approach.
Results
The narratives with the participants revealed that they live in a socially depressed environment and are subjected to extreme poverty characterised by frequent hunger. Furthermore, they do not enjoy family support and when they live with their extended families, they experience ill treatment and unsympathetic gestures. The death of their mothers has made a negative psychological impact on their psychosocial wellbeing, resulting in the development of internalising depressive symptoms. They suffer from emotional distress and prolonged bereavement characterised by perpetual yearning for the mother and, they resort to silence as a coping strategy. The study established that they were forced to leave school early for a variety of reasons. However, leaving school early became a major stressor and contributed to their negative psychosocial wellbeing.
Conclusion
Maternal death has a negative impact on the psychosocial wellbeing of the participants even after they have crossed the 18 years threshold of orphan hood. Yearning for their mothers negatively affected their ability to develop coping strategies, which led to isolation, sadness, hopelessness, lack of peace, and fear of an uncertain future. The lack of routine screening for mental health in schools and other settings in South Africa increases their vulnerability to undiagnosed depression. The school health services should develop interventions for mental health screening in schools. For early school leavers, relevant policies should consider the continuation of support through NGOs and community networks.
Introduction:
Orphans and the other vulnerable children and adolescents (OVCA) living in institutional homes are more prone to behavioral and emotional problems than others as they are deprived of a family's love and care. There is a dearth of studies focusing on the psychological health of these children in India. Hence, we have conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study to explore the behavioral and emotional problems in these institutionalized children.
Materials and methods:
The sample consisted of 292 orphans and OVCA in institutional homes of Visakhapatnam city. The sociodemographic data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) with impact supplement was used to assess the behavioral and emotional problems in them.
Results:
In our study, 49 (16.78%) out of 292 children and adolescents were found to be having behavioral and emotional problems. Factors such as age, sex, reason for being in the institute, age of admission, and years of stay in the home were all seen to be significantly associated (P < 0.05) with emotional and behavioral problems. Conduct problems (34.90%) were found to be most prevalent followed by peer problems (15.80%), emotional problems (14.70%), hyperactivity (8.60%), and low prosocial behavior (3.40%).
Conclusion:
The present study shows that the orphans and OVCA in institutional homes are vulnerable to behavioral and emotional problems. The screening for conduct problems, emotional problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems needs to be done at a regular basis for these children. Given the paucity of data in this regard, several multicenter studies also need to be done to get an overall comprehensive view of these problems.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this review is to systematically synthesize the published research work describing the impact of
parental deprivation and psychological wellbeing outcomes among children and adolescents (ages 7–17 years).
A range of psychological wellbeing outcomes was assessed (e.g., internalizing behaviors, psychotic symptoms,
etc.) to fully understand the relationship between parental deprivation and psychological wellbeing in the
context of orphan adolescents.
Methods: Researches published in peer-reviewed journals from 2008 to 2021 were included. This study used
online platform i.e., Research Gate, Google Scholar, Psyinfo, PubMed, Medline, and Web of Science and found
20 articles from different countries (Saudi Arabia, Nepal, South Africa, India, China, Zimbabwe, Russia, and
Ethiopia) that met the inclusion criteria.
Results: There were 4 cross-sectional studies, 7 descriptive studies, 3 qualitative studies, 4 comparative studies,
2 mixed exploratory studies. Results suggest that orphans have low levels of psychological stability, low level
of self-esteem, and higher levels of mental health problems like anxiety, social dysfunction, and depression than
non-orphans.
Conclusion:Orphans suffered from low psychological well-being and poor mental health. However, both
orphans and non-orphans have had good decision-making skills in social situations.
Key Words: Adolescent Orphan, Parental Deprivation, Psychological Wellbeing, Mental Health
Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the reliability of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), including the impact subscale, when completed by school-age children in Oman. The SDQ is an essential tool for screening psychological and behavioural problems in school children but has only been partially tested in an Omani sample. Method: A cross sectional study. Children aged 11-16 from one private and four public schools in two areas of Oman (Muscat; Buraimi) completed the SDQ. Cronbachs alpha and person-product correlations were used to assess internal, and test-re-rest reliability. Results: 377/422 children completed the SDQ, 138 completed the re-test. The Total Difficulties (T-SDQ) score was normally distributed with 78% scoring normal, 13% borderline and 9% clinical significant scores. Girls’ scores were significantly higher than boys in T-SDQ and in emotional and prosocial subscales. Internal reliability for the T-SDQ was (Cronbach alpha = 0.72; Person Product-moment coefficient r=0.71; P<0.001), the impact subscale = 0.68 and varied between 0.26 and 0.60 for the subscales. Conclusion: The self-reported SDQ using T-SDQ score is a reliable screening tool for psychological and behavioural problems for Omani children. The T-SDQ can be disseminated within private and public-school systems. Having a reliable screening tool for identifying children with psychological and behavioural problems is a significant step to improving mental health pathways of care and outcomes in Oman.
Background:
There were differences in the characteristics and prevalence rates between individuals with a history of one suicide attempt and those with multiple suicide attempts. This large-scale study was conducted to test, among Chinese adolescents, the associations of emotional and behavioral problems with single and multiple suicide attempts and whether these associations vary with adolescents' academic performance.
Methods:
Data were drawn from the 2019 School-based Chinese Adolescents Health Survey (n = 20,702). Information about emotional and behavioral problems, suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, academic performance, and sleep duration was gathered. Multinomial logistic regression models using Firth penalized likelihood approach and appropriate sampling weights were performed.
Results:
Compared with no suicide attempt, peer problems, emotional problems, conduct problems, and hyperactivity were associated with an elevated risk of both a single suicide attempt and multiple suicide attempts, respectively (P < 0.05); the magnitudes of these associations in multiple suicide attempters were higher than those in single suicide attempters. Further stratification analyses by academic performance showed a greater association of the four difficulties with multiple suicide attempts in adolescents reporting poor academic performance than in those with good or average academic performance.
Limitations:
The school-based study sample only included students, and causal inference could not be delineated due to the cross-sectional design.
Conclusions:
Emotional and behavioral problems are associated with an elevated risk of single and multiple suicide attempts with differences between multiple suicide attempters and single suicide attempters. Adolescent academic performance plays a modulating role in these associations for multiple suicide attempts.
Background
Orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) represent a significant population worldwide, enduring poor health and living conditions. Evidence-based interventions are needed. However, without parents, ethical concerns about including OVCs in research persist. The aim of our study was to better understand the ethical challenges facing researchers who work with OVCs.
Methods
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 international pediatric researchers working with OVCs in seven countries. We used descriptive content analysis to characterize the ethical rationale for inclusion and associated challenges.
Results
Researchers believed research was justified as a necessary means for informing evidence-based interventions to benefit OVCs directly or as a population. Ethical challenges included difficulty identifying OVCs given variation among children living without parents; difficulty identifying guardians among a range of caregivers; concerns about meaningfulness of guardian consent; difficulty assessing risk; and responding to children's many needs.
Conclusions
A range of caregivers bear responsibility to protect OVC's interests in place of parents in research but are often not prepared to do so. This places greater burden on researchers to assess risks and respond to children's needs. Findings suggest that we should improve support and rethink the roles of guardians, researchers and older children in research participation and protection.
A growing, sizable proportion of school children do not live in conventional family environments. Among these, internationally adopted children have gained increasing visibility in recent years. While other areas of their behavior have been widely explored, little is known about adopted children's social competence and their integration into peer groups. This study, involving 148 children between 4 and 8 years of age, compared 40 internationally adopted children with 50 children who were residing in institutions for children and 58 community comparison children. Social competence, problems with peers and friendship relationships were assessed using SSRS and SDQ, with both parents/caretakers and teachers as the informants. The sociometric status of the children and their friendship relationships were obtained through their teachers’ reports. The results showed statistically significant differences between children living in institutions (more problems with peers, poorer social skills and sociometric status) and those in family environments, whether adopted and non-adopted. Also, the results suggest some minor differences between the adopted and the comparison children, the former with greater visibility and the latter with higher sociometric status in the peer group.
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