Psychological wellbeing of children at public primary schools in Jimma town: An orphan and non-orphan comparative study
Abstract
Orphans face multiple challenges including insufficient food, shelter, schooling, and medical care. Most research on orphans in developing countries concentrates on nutrition and health status. The present study aims to explore the psychological wellbeing of in-school orphaned and non-orphaned children. Method A comparative cross-sectional study design was used in 370 randomly selected children aged between 10 and 18. Two rosters (one for orphans and one for non-orphans) were created, and then 185 were selected from each roster. Trained field workers used structured questionnaires to obtain information from participants. An adapted Ryff Psychological Wellbeing Scale was used to measure psychological wellbeing. Mean scores were determined for each dimension and for total psychological wellbeing. The mean split was used to divide psychological wellbeing into “high” and “low”. Data were coded, entered, cleaned, and analyzed using SPSS version 20. The independent sample t-test was used to determine statistically significant differences in psychological wellbeing between orphaned and non-orphaned children. P values < 0.05 were deemed statistically significant. Results Of 370 children, 185 (50%) were orphans. Among orphaned children, only 62 (33.5%) scored high on the total psychological wellbeing scale whereas 107 (57.8%) of their non-orphaned peers scored highly. The non-orphaned children had about 10.8 higher mean psychological wellbeing scores than their orphan counterparts (P<0.001). The mean (±SD) psychological wellbeing of the non-orphaned children was 164.0 (17.2) vs. 153.2 (17.2) in the orphaned group. Conclusion The psychological wellbeing of orphans is significantly lower than their non-orphaned peers. Orphan support projects must consider psychosocial wellbeing in addition to material support.
Categories: Psychology
Other articles
Nutritional status and dietary intake of the orphans: A case study in the ICH (Intervida Children Home) in Dhaka city in Bangladesh
The study was conducted among Intervida beneficiaries (Students) on October 2010. Total number of students was 46. The purpose…
Read moreMedical diagnoses and growth of children residing in Russian orphanages
Aims: Survey the health of young children residing in Russian orphanages. Methods: Retrospective chart review of all 193…
Read moreThe coming crime wave? Aids, orphans and crime in South Africa : legal issues
Crime levels in South Africa are likely to increase over the next two decades because of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The epidemic…
Read moreEuropean orphans and vagrants in India in the Nineteenth century
Current writing about the British in India would lead an otherwise un- informed reader to suppose that its European community…
Read more