Resilience and Psychological Well-Being Among Destitute Adolescents

Abstract

In the present scenario, the adolescents face enormous challenges in the Indian society. Adolescents are the most vulnerable group in any population and needs the greatest social care. Adolescence as a developmental period is filled with many changes and crisis. Some of these challenges might be relatively minor, while others are disastrous on a much larger scale. Challenges faced by adolescents may deteriorate their well-being. Although family is the best place for an adolescent to grow and develop, at times, families become incapable to cater the needs of the adolescents due to family conflicts and other unavoidable circumstances. Large numbers of adolescents end up in institutional care. Though there are no official estimates of this number, Aangan India, an NGO, in its annual report of 2009-2010 puts the number at 4.5 million (2010).Institutional care is considered as an appropriate measure for providing care to orphan and destitute adolescents in India. Child welfare has become a major concern in our society with the increased number of children and adolescents ending up in institutional care. According to Childline India (2008), adolescents become destitute, for the interim or permanently of neglected parental care for many reasons including the illness, death or imprisonment of parents, parental conflict, separation due to migration or armed conflict, the removal by child welfare authorities and/or the courts based on the best interests, detention of the adolescent, or following the adolescent's own initiative to leave home. Henceforth, large populations of adolescents grow up without one or both of their parents as destitute.Adolescents undergo traumatic experiences because of parental loss and the stigmatization associated with this loss (Jain & Negi, 2001). In the case of destitute adolescents, early separation from parents, deprivation of parental care, love, affection, warmth, security, acceptance and discipline during childhood and adolescence disrupts their normal socio-emotional development (Hiremani, Khadi, Gaonkar, & Katarki 1994). They tend to feel unwanted and develop a high risk of abuse, exploitation and neglect. Institutional care in early life predisposes children to intellectual, behavioral and social problems later in life. According to Steinberg (2001) inadequate individual care in institutions, socially and emotionally weaken adolescents. Most of the destitute adolescents do not experience the warmth of love and support of parents feels that he/she is unwanted and tend to have negative attitude towards life and get depressed (Hamburg, 2006). In a crisis situation, destitute adolescents develop tunnel vision, which makes them unable to sec the positive aspects of their life. They tend to develop aggressive, non-compliant behavior, anxiety and problems with social relationships (Singh & Akbar, 1970). Caroll (1999) called the institutional life of adolescents as a state of 'chronic emotional deprivation'.Violence at home is one of the major predictors of adolescents experiencing homelessness. This makes them feel that they have no home to return due to irreconcilable familial conflicts. They run away from their houses without the parent's/guardian's permission or are moved from their families by the child welfare authorities and finally end up in institutions. Destitute adolescents often have prior experiences of violence, either eye witnessing violence or being abused physically or sexually (Dutta, Baratha, & Goswamy, 1998). Higher risks of exposure to violence or trauma in adolescence lead to behavioral and mental health problems.Mental health for adolescents is just as impoitant as their physical health. Mental health includes the ability to enjoy life, and create a balance between life activities and the efforts to achieve psychological well-being. The World Health Organization defines well-being as 'a state of mind in which an individual is able to realize his or her own abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. …