Socio-economic Status and Socio-emotional Health of Orphans in South Africa

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between socio-economic status and emotional well-being of orphans in Mangaung, South Africa. Five hundred orphans aged 7-11 years participated in the cross-sectional study between 2009 and 2012. Data was collected by trained fieldworkers, who conducted face-to-face interviews and questionnaires with the orphans, their teachers and caregivers, and the heads of the households where the orphans resided. The caregivers, children and teachers all completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in order to measure the orphans' mental health, while heads of household provided information about socio-economic indicators. STATA version 12 was used to perform multivariate data analyses to identify socio-economic factors associated with the mental health of orphans. Food security, access to medical services and a male caregiver were factors associated with better emotional well-being of orphans, whereas other variables such as household asset index and monthly household expenditure were not linked with the orphans' mental health. Two of the three variables (food security and access to medical services) associated with better emotional well-being of orphans are also government interventions to assist orphans. Further research is needed to determine whether other government programs also impact the emotional well-being of orphans.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in Africa: a scoping review of its application and validation

“…Of the 54 studies, four (7.4%) used all three versions (parent, teacher and self-report) of the SDQ [ 44 , 49 , 50 , 57 ] (see Fig. 3 ).…”

“…Triangulation of SDQ data through the use of multiple informants is recommended by the developers [ 79 ]. Only four (7.4%) [ 44 , 49 , 50 , 57 ] of the 54 studies in the review made use of all versions (parent, teacher and self-report) of the SDQ to satisfy triangulation of the screening tool. All four studies took place within South Africa, three made use of the Sesotho versions of the SDQ (parent, teacher and self-report), while the other study did not specify the language version used.…”

“…Twenty-six studies (48.1%) included an evaluation of some aspect of the psychometric properties of the SDQ, for instance, 25 (46.2%) reported the Cronbach alpha scores for internal consistency [ 25 , 29 , 33 , 36 , 39 , 42 , 45 – 50 , 52 – 55 , 57 , 58 , 60 , 61 , 66 , 68 , 70 , 71 , 75 , 76 ]. Four studies (7.4%) also presented Cronbach alpha scores from previously published studies [ 38 , 62 , 64 , 69 ].…”

Predictors of mental health problems in adolescents living with HIV in Namibia

“…For example, Pappin et al. () found that orphans with access to medical services, as all participants in this study had, have fewer mental health problems than those that do not. Further research should unpack the specific vulnerability of orphanhood in ALHIV.…”

Associations among anthropometric measures, food consumption, and quality of life in school-age children in Tanzania

“…Limited access and/or not consuming three meals and/or snacks per day were associated with low QOL in this study, suggesting the importance of determining the mechanisms underlying the relationships between a healthy life, including food security and a high QOL. A previous study performed in South Africa indicated associations of food security and access to medical services with better emotional wellbeing of orphans, although SES such as the household asset index and monthly household expenditure showed no such associations 25 ) . Experiences in Canada indicated that a small monthly income supplementation for each child aged under six years significantly reduced food insecurity among vulnerable households such as low-income and single-parent families 26 ) .…”