IMPACT OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEPRIVATIONS ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF NOMADIC CHILDREN IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The nomads are referred to as ethnic or socio-professional groups of people that travel and migrate from one geographical location to another, in search of means of livelihood. In Nigeria, the nomads are predominately the pastoralists, the migrant farmers, and the fishermen. Nomads are characterized by the absence of fixed domicile; hence they are always on the move. They do not have permanent place of settlement, therefore, their children suffer a lot of deprivations. This research investigated on the impact of psycho-social deprivations on emotional health and education of the nomadic children in Nigeria. A descriptive survey was adopted, while focus group discussion built into interview was used for data collection. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study was the entire nomads in Nigeria. A random sampling technique was used to select 400 nomads. The result was analysed, using mean scores, standard deviations, and z-test. The findings indicated that nomadic children experience emotional, intellectual deprivations, and deprivations of health care services, and social amenities among others. There is no significant difference in the mean scores and standard deviations of male and female respondents on whether nomadic children suffer psycho-social deprivations. There is no significant difference in the mean scores and standard deviations of male and female respondents on whet her psycho-social deprivations have impact on the emotional health and education of the nomadic children. Summarily, the findings were that nomadic children experience a high rate of psycho-social deprivations in Nigeria. Article visualizations: