Do past and present adverse experiences impact the mental health of children? A study among children in the Juvenile Justice System in India
Background: Children in the Juvenile Justice System (JJS) in India include children who may have engaged in criminal acts and children who cannot be cared for by their families of origin for various reasons. Given the nature of the children in such circumstances, they face multiple challenges growin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Indian Journal of Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_153_23 |
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| author | Shiva Prakash Srinivasan Chiranjeevi Arumugam Ananya Anandan Padmavati Ramachandran |
| author_facet | Shiva Prakash Srinivasan Chiranjeevi Arumugam Ananya Anandan Padmavati Ramachandran |
| author_sort | Shiva Prakash Srinivasan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background:
Children in the Juvenile Justice System (JJS) in India include children who may have engaged in criminal acts and children who cannot be cared for by their families of origin for various reasons. Given the nature of the children in such circumstances, they face multiple challenges growing up. Few studies from India have systematically explored interpersonal experiences, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) or bullying experiences, and their effects on these children’s mental health.
Materials and Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted using standardized scales to identify the frequencies of and relationships between life experiences and current mental health outcomes (stress, well-being, and psychopathology) faced by children residing in seven child care institutions (CCIs) across two states in India.
Results:
Of the 278 children who participated in the study, at least one ACE was endorsed by 86.7%, and at least one instance of bullying was experienced by 71.7%. A significant negative correlation was noted between the number of ACEs, bullying experiences, and well-being and a significant positive correlation with stress and psychopathology. Information about the family of origin was significantly associated with lower psychopathology and stress scores.
Conclusions:
This study highlights the relationship between mental health outcomes, ACEs, and bullying experiences in children in the JJS in India. The study identifies the immediate and ongoing effects of these experiences on children’s mental health and, thus, focuses on the need for appropriate interventions to allay the effects of these experiences. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5583cb7f3839429ab3a2283c46f4e00a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0019-5545 1998-3794 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Indian Journal of Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-5583cb7f3839429ab3a2283c46f4e00a2025-02-07T11:25:32ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndian Journal of Psychiatry0019-55451998-37942023-08-0165886987710.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_153_23Do past and present adverse experiences impact the mental health of children? A study among children in the Juvenile Justice System in IndiaShiva Prakash SrinivasanChiranjeevi ArumugamAnanya AnandanPadmavati RamachandranBackground: Children in the Juvenile Justice System (JJS) in India include children who may have engaged in criminal acts and children who cannot be cared for by their families of origin for various reasons. Given the nature of the children in such circumstances, they face multiple challenges growing up. Few studies from India have systematically explored interpersonal experiences, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) or bullying experiences, and their effects on these children’s mental health. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using standardized scales to identify the frequencies of and relationships between life experiences and current mental health outcomes (stress, well-being, and psychopathology) faced by children residing in seven child care institutions (CCIs) across two states in India. Results: Of the 278 children who participated in the study, at least one ACE was endorsed by 86.7%, and at least one instance of bullying was experienced by 71.7%. A significant negative correlation was noted between the number of ACEs, bullying experiences, and well-being and a significant positive correlation with stress and psychopathology. Information about the family of origin was significantly associated with lower psychopathology and stress scores. Conclusions: This study highlights the relationship between mental health outcomes, ACEs, and bullying experiences in children in the JJS in India. The study identifies the immediate and ongoing effects of these experiences on children’s mental health and, thus, focuses on the need for appropriate interventions to allay the effects of these experiences.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_153_23adverse childhood experiencesjuvenile justice systempsychopathology |
| spellingShingle | Shiva Prakash Srinivasan Chiranjeevi Arumugam Ananya Anandan Padmavati Ramachandran Do past and present adverse experiences impact the mental health of children? A study among children in the Juvenile Justice System in India Indian Journal of Psychiatry adverse childhood experiences juvenile justice system psychopathology |
| title | Do past and present adverse experiences impact the mental health of children? A study among children in the Juvenile Justice System in India |
| title_full | Do past and present adverse experiences impact the mental health of children? A study among children in the Juvenile Justice System in India |
| title_fullStr | Do past and present adverse experiences impact the mental health of children? A study among children in the Juvenile Justice System in India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do past and present adverse experiences impact the mental health of children? A study among children in the Juvenile Justice System in India |
| title_short | Do past and present adverse experiences impact the mental health of children? A study among children in the Juvenile Justice System in India |
| title_sort | do past and present adverse experiences impact the mental health of children a study among children in the juvenile justice system in india |
| topic | adverse childhood experiences juvenile justice system psychopathology |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_153_23 |
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