Psychological distress amongst orphaned, neglected and former street children in institutional care homes in Arusha, Tanzania

Orphanhood, neglect and life on the streets are common risk factors that lead to children entering institutional care in Tanzania. This study set out to explore the relationship between these risks and mental health outcomes. It also examined whether there were any differences in terms of psychological problems associated with the different risks. One hundred and four black African, Kiswahili speaking participants aged 8-17 years were recruited from institutional care homes in Arusha, Tanzania. They were interviewed using standardised mental health scales in order to assess levels of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Data were analysed with multivariate analysis, chi square analysis, unrelated t-tests and one sample t-tests. Children in this study were found to score significantly higher on a measure of posttraumatic stress disorder than the published norms. This was not the case however on measures of anxiety and depression. Multivariate analysis revealed no significant differences in scores of posttraumatic stress, anxiety and depression between groups of children. This study shows clear evidence of trauma for children living in institutional care homes; it also contradicts the general assumption of poor mental health of vulnerable children in terms of anxiety and depression highlighting children’s resilience and indicating possible areas for intervention