Psychiatric Morbidity among Street Children in Duhok

Taib, Nezar Ismet; Ahmad, Abdulbaghi

doi:10.4137/cmped.s13505

Cited by 9 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 10 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“… 19 , 28 , 42 , 43 Taib and Ahmad in their study in 2014 identified particular psychiatric disorders in street children like schizophrenia and others. 55 The following psychiatric disorders among street children in Africa were reported: depression, hopelessness and suicide ideation, among others. Risk factors like stress and trauma faced by street children were only described in the studies and no standardized diagnostic tools were used in measuring post-traumatic stress disorder, which was described in the studies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The health profile of street children in Africa: a literature review

Cumber

Tsoka-Gwegweni

2015

J Public Health Afr

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The United Nations Children’s Fund has labeled street children as children in difficult circumstances, which represent a minority population that has been under-represented for too long in health research. This is a concern because street children are at risk of carrying a greater disease burden. Their homeless lifestyle makes them more vulnerable to health risks and problems than children who live at home; as they roam the streets begging for food and money to obtain basic needs and are found sleeping in half-destroyed houses, abandoned basements, under bridges and in the open air. This paper presents health results from a systematic review of literature from 17 databases and including 16 countries in Africa. The review revealed that there are more boys than girls living on the street in their adolescence and who mainly have left home due to poverty and abuse. These children in these countries are vulnerable to poor health due to factors such as homelessness, risky sexual behavior, substance abuse and violence. Among the health problems identified are growth and nutritional disorders, physical injuries, violence, sexual abuse, communicable diseases including diarrheal diseases, malaria, respiratory diseases, neglected tropical diseases, mental health issues, substance abuse, reproductive health disorders, mortality, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. Primary interventions that could prevent poor health and improve the health status of street children include provision of safe shelter, proper nutrition, access to health care, health education, and sexual reproductive health, protection from any form of abuse, violence and substance abuse. Enforcing state policies and laws in all African countries is required to protect street children from neglect, abuse and to increase their access to education. More research on the health risks and health status of street children is still required, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, which carries the greatest disease burden and poverty.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The health profile of street children in Africa: a literature review

Cumber

Tsoka-Gwegweni

2015

J Public Health Afr

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“…worked on the streets because of the economic needs and pressure on their families. It illustrated higher rates of anxiety and depression among these children (Taib & Ahmad, 2014).…”

Section: Total 120 120mentioning

confidence: 88%

“…countries. It is believed to be an index related to poverty, families with low literacy level and large extended families (Taib & Ahmad, 2014).…”

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confidence: 99%

Mental Illness among Children Working on the Streets Compared with School Children in Duhok

Taib¹,

Ahmad²

2015

PSYCH

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Child labor is a gradually increasing phenomenon across the world. Children working on the streets are vulnerable to a variety of mental and non-mental illnesses. Due to the scarcity of the research on the health impacts of this phenomenon on these children, this study investigates the risks of mental illnesses and school performance among children working on the streets. A comparative study was conducted from December 16, 2006 to June 10, 2007. The study included 120 boys working on the streets and a comparable sample of non-working boys from primary schools. A modified Family Map was used to collect data on the socio-demographic characteristics. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescence tool was utilized to identify the presence of mental illnesses. The findings show that children working on the streets are five times more likely to be depressed and four times more likely to be anxious than school children. No significant differences are found between the two groups concerning suicide, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, tic disorder or school performance. Children working on the streets are more likely to have one or more mental illnesses than the comparable sample of boys attending school regularly. More research is needed to address pathogenesis of mental illnesses as well as resilience of vulnerable children living in a difficult environment.

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“…The few studies on psychopathology of homeless or street children in developing countries include a Turkish study [ 48 ] that found 61% of street children had at least one psychiatric disorder while a Ghanaian study reported that as high as 87% of homeless youth showed moderate to severe psychosocial symptoms [ 9 ]. In their study which assessed 112 Burundian male children, Crombach et al provide evidence that psychopathology among children who had spent parts of their lives on the streets was associated with exposure to violence [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative study of the prevalence and correlates of psychiatric disorders in Almajiris and public primary school pupils in Zaria, Northwest Nigeria

Abubakar-Abdullateef

Adedokun

Omigbodun

2017

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health

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Background‘Almajiris’ are children and adolescents sent far away from their homes to study in Islamic schools under the care of Muslim scholars. Over the years, there has been a decline in the capacity of the scholars to cater to these pupils. Consequently, Almajiris spend significant periods of time on the streets begging and carrying out menial jobs to earn a living thereby increasing their risk for physical and mental disorders. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among Almajiris and public primary school pupils in Zaria.MethodsA comparative cross-sectional design was utilized to compare 213 Almajiris and 200 public primary school children and adolescents aged between 5 and 19 years. All participants were administered a Socio-demographic questionnaire and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-aged Children Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). Data were analyzed using Chi square tests and logistic regression.ResultsThe current prevalence of psychiatric disorders among Almajiris and public school pupils was 57.7 and 37.0% respectively. After adjusting for age and family characteristics, Almajiris were significantly more likely to have any psychiatric diagnosis, depression, enuresis, substance use, and post traumatic stress disorder but less likely to have separation anxiety disorder than the public school pupils.ConclusionPsychiatric disorders are more prevalent among Almajiris and public primary school pupils in Northwest Nigeria than found in other prevalence studies with a significantly higher rate among the Almajiris. Joint efforts need to be made by the Government and Civil Society organizations including religious groups towards reforming the Almajiri education system and the provision of programmes aimed at reducing the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in both Almajiris and the school pupils.

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Psychiatric Morbidity among Street Children in Duhok

Cited by 9 publications

References 10 publications

The health profile of street children in Africa: a literature review

The health profile of street children in Africa: a literature review

Mental Illness among Children Working on the Streets Compared with School Children in Duhok

A comparative study of the prevalence and correlates of psychiatric disorders in Almajiris and public primary school pupils in Zaria, Northwest Nigeria

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