Association between Demographic Profile and Mental Health Needs of Children in Statutory Institutions of Care and Protection in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Children bring into the justice system their past and current experiences both positive and negative. Despite this, studies show that child justice systems have limited mechanisms for screening and assessment of their psychosocial needs. This lack of internal audit mechanisms by agencies can contribute to worsening of the young person’s mental status. This study screened children in need of care and protection residing in child protection units, remand homes and rescue centres in Nairobi County. Participants constituted 32 female and nine (9) male children recruited from these institutions. The Kiswahili version of strengths and difficulties questionnaire was used to determine their psychosocial needs. A brief questionnaire was developed for use in identifying their social and demographic profiles. The results showed that 64.41 % of respondents had prior contacts with the child protection system. The children had high scores in emotional (M=5.41, SD=1.78) and peer problems (M=3.24, SD=1.97). The study found an association between the nature of the statutory institution the child was residing and hyperactivity problems (p=.0.034), ethnicity and conduct problems (0.009), and between family type and prosocial behaviors (p=0.001). The study findings point to the need for in depth assessments for all children entering statutory institutions and development of evidence-based treatment programs to address their psychosocial wellbeing