An assessment of the psychosocial distress and problems faced by street children living in Kolkata city: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Street children constitute a marginalized group in most societies. These children experience social and behavioural problems resulting from their environmental influences, school and peer interactions, home and family settings, or any combination of these. Keeping in view the prevalence of psychosocial distress among street children, this study was undertaken to assess the levels of psychosocial distress and problems faced by orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) living in Kolkata city. Methods: This was a cross sectional analytical study. A total of 127 children were interviewed with the help of pre-validated semi-structured questionnaire. GHQ-12 scale was used to measure the symptoms of the psychosocial distress. Bivariate analysis with the help of Chi-square test was done to determine variations in the psychosocial distress experienced by OVC by age, gender, duration of stay on streets, education. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 15±2 years. About one third of the children showed symptoms of severe psycho-social distress with 30% of children showing signs of intentional self-harm. Age, education and duration of living on the streets were some of the factors that showed significant correlation with the levels of psychosocial distress. Conclusions: The study concludes that although institutional care and support from NGOs takes care of basic amenities such as shelter, food and education, there is a need to address the psychological needs of the children through teacher sensitization programmes. A well-informed caregiver would be able to address the needs of children under his supervision and care.