Psychosocial Effects of Traumatic Experiences in Children Living In Orphanages: A Selected Case of Kings Kid Village and Our Home Child Care Center in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

This study explored the psychosocial effects of traumatic experiences in children living in two orphanages: Kings Kid Village and Our Home Child Care Center in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was guided by two theories: the psychosocial theory and cognitive behavior theory, and it adopted the descriptive research design while the data collection tool was a questionnaire. Stratified sampling technique was used with a sample size of 98. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 22. It was established that the children in the selected children's homes suffered different kinds of traumatic experiences that contributed to psychosocial effects. For example, 61% were sexually abused, 53% suffered abandonment, and 74% faced violence. The majority of the participants agreed that children's traumatic experiences caused various psychosocial effects such as loss of sense of self, poor attachment, and poor association with other people. The study recommends that family members and caregivers in children's homes need to find ways to eliminate any form of abuse - be it verbal, physical, or emotional, against children in order to avoid the risk of trauma that may result in negative psychosocial effects.