Self-Esteem and Resilience Differences Among Street Children Compared to Non-street Children in Limpopo Province of South Africa: A Baseline Study.

Mokoena Patronella Maepa

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.542778

Mokoena Patronella Maepa

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.542778

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Abstract

The phenomenon of street children is a challenging global social problem. Using an independent sample group design, this study explored the differences in self-esteem and resilience among street children and non-street children. A total of 300 (N = 300) street children with ages ranging from 8 to 18 years were selected using a purposive sampling method, while a total of 300 (N = 300) non-street children with ages ranging from 8 to 18 years were selected using a simple random sample to participate in this study. A questionnaire with three sections was used to collect data. Results of an independent sample t-test revealed that street children reported low self-esteem and poor resilience compared to non-street children. The study, therefore, concluded that street children and non-street children differ on self-esteem and resilience. It is recommended that social skills training be provided for the street children population.

Highlights

Street children phenomenon is a global social problem
Male [X2(1,N=174) = 94.82, p = 0.000] and female [X2(1,N=126) = 93.40, p = 0.000] street children reported poor self-esteem compared to their non-street children counterparts
The same gender differences were further observed on resilience scores as male [X2(1,N=174) = 39.64, p = 0.000] and female [X2(1,N=126) = 23.16, p = 0.000] street children reported poor resilience compared to the control

Summary

Introduction

In South Africa, The Tshwane Alliance for Street Children [1] reported about 100,000 cases of street children They are defined as persons who are below the age of 18 years who live on the streets on their own without any form of parental or adult care (National Coalition for the Homeless as cited in Ligon [2]). They are identified as children who are in difficult or challenging circumstances some associated with chronic poverty in their homes [3]. They are prone to untimely deaths [8]

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