Impact of Domestic Care Environment on Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Orphans in Western Kenya

Abstract


Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the domestic care environment on the prevalence of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among orphaned and separated children in Uasin Gishu County, western Kenya. Methods: A total of 1565 (55.5% male) orphaned and separated adolescents aged 10–18 years (mean 13.8 years, sd 2.2), were assessed for PTSD and PTEs including bullying, physical abuse and sexual abuse. In this sample, 746 lived in extended family households, 746 in Charitable Children's Institutions (CCIs), and 73 on the street. Posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) scores and PTSD were assessed using the Child PTSD Checklist. Results: Bullying was the commonest PTE in all domestic care environments, followed by physical and sexual abuse. All PTEs were commonest among the street youth followed by CCIs. However, sexual abuse was more prevalent in households than in CCIs. Prevalence of PTSD was highest among street youth (28.8%), then households (15.0%) and CCIs (11.5%). PTSS scores were also highest among street youth, followed by CCIs and households. Bullying was associated with higher PTSS scores and PTSD odds than either sexual or physical abuse. Conclusion: This study demonstrated differences in distribution of trauma and PTSD among orphaned and separated children in different domestic care environments, with street youth suffering more than those in CCIs or households. Interventions are needed to address bullying and sexual abuse, especially in extended family households. Street youth, a heretofore neglected population, are urgently in need of dedicated mental health services and support.



Other articles

The Predictive Accuracy of Pre-Adoption Video Review in Adoptees from Russian and Eastern European Orphanages

Many internationally adopted children have a pre-adoption video for prospective adoptive parents to review before their…

Read more

Empowering caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children in Swaziland

This paper reports on the health and psychosocial impacts of a programme designed to economically empower female caregivers…

Read more

Education for All: Myth or Reality for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in Zimbabwe?

The freedom of Zimbabwe from colonial rule in 1980 brought with it the vision of Education for All by the year 2000. A number…

Read more

Emotional empathy mediates the relationship between personality traits and coping strategies in orphan and non-orphan students

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to inspect the potential mediation pathways among emotional empathy, personality…

Read more