Antisocial Behaviours that are More Prevalent Among Children with Complicated Grief in Selected Public Primary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

The inability of children to comprehend and process death due to factors like chronological age, attachment of the child to the deceased, nature of death, and family support, might lead to delayed or prolonged grief processes resulting in complicated grief (CG). Complicated grief in a child’s life can affect his/her social and cognitive functioning manifesting in antisocial behaviours. This study aimed to find out antisocial behaviours that are more prevalent among children with complicated grief in selected public primary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. This study was guided by Attachment Theory. Multistage sampling, purposive sampling, inclusion, and exclusion criteria were used to select 259 pupils aged 10-13 years who had lost a loved one in the last year. Purposive sampling was also used to select 22 class teachers of the bereaved pupils who participated in the study. The study employed a convergent mixed-method design. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires (SDQ, ICG, and STAB) and interviews. Quantitative data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS Version 25.0. The findings indicated that the most prevalent antisocial behaviour was social aggression with an aggregated mean of 3.01. The findings indicated that antisocial behaviours were common among children with CG as well as those without. The most prevalent antisocial behaviour among children who had lost a loved one was social aggression. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education should introduce a school-based counseling program incorporating grief intervention techniques and recommend trained counselors who do not double up as teachers to be school counselors to negate dual relationships. Public Primary schools are encouraged to develop several training programs to help teachers understand how to intervene and foster resiliency in their students who have experienced grief.