Background: Adolescence is the period of growth between childhood and adulthood, and it plays a significant influence in determining how an individual’s life will turn out. Children between the ages of 12 and 18 go through several physical and mental milestones during this time. Adolescents are undergoing a variety of psychological and physical transitions, and they also have a strong need to understand their place in the complex system known as “society,” even if it is as small a part as a gear. They are prone to making mistakes unless they have the proper instruction and ongoing assistance. Orphans, who are a more susceptible group, must deal with this turbulent time alone. Aim: to assess loneliness, coping mechanisms and general wellbeing and their correlation in adolescent orphans residing in orphanages of Western-Maharashtra. Methods and Materials: Cross-sectional study for assessing loneliness, coping mechanisms and general well-being through questionnaires. (Quantitative analysis) In-depth interviews of the parents of the randomly selected children from the study population and previous residents of orphanages. (Qualitative analysis). In order to achieve our third goal, we conducted in-depth interviews with the parents of 10 randomly chosen children to understand the circumstances that led to their admission into institutions, as well as with five former orphanage residents to obtain insight into their current situations.To accomplish our initial goal of data collecting, the children’s levels of loneliness and coping were assessed using the R-UCLA and BRCS measures, respectively. Our second goal was achieved after we analysed the data and connected the results from the R-UCLA and BRCS scales with the replies on our self-made scale for general wellbeing based on the personal hygiene, nutritional, reproductive, and sexual health of our focus population. Results: 2×2 contingency table is made for finding the association between different variables such as R-UCLA and low BMI (p= 0.002), R-UCLA and undernourishment (p= 0.002), R-UCLA and frequency of sudden high fever (p= 0.040), R-UCLA and frequency of headaches (p=0.002) and BRCS and sleep deprivation (p=0.015). Then after applying Pearson’s Chi Square test, it is found out that there is significant association between the two variables under study. Conclusion: Our study projected that, high degree of loneliness and poor coping mechanisms have a direct impact on the general wellbeing of adolescent orphans. Through the interviews we learnt their reasons for admission to the orphanage and how the variables of our study affect their lives beyond the orphanage.
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Background: Adolescence is the period of growth between childhood and adulthood, and it plays a significant influence in determining how an individual’s life will turn out. Children between the ages of 12 and 18 go through several physical and mental milestones during this time. Adolescents are undergoing a variety of psychological and physical transitions, and they also have a strong need to understand their place in the complex system known as “society,” even if it is as small a part as a gear. They are prone to making mistakes unless they have the proper instruction and ongoing assistance. Orphans, who are a more susceptible group, must deal with this turbulent time alone. Aim: to assess loneliness, coping mechanisms and general wellbeing and their correlation in adolescent orphans residing in orphanages of Western-Maharashtra. Methods and Materials: Cross-sectional study for assessing loneliness, coping mechanisms and general well-being through questionnaires. (Quantitative analysis) In-depth interviews of the parents of the randomly selected children from the study population and previous residents of orphanages. (Qualitative analysis). In order to achieve our third goal, we conducted in-depth interviews with the parents of 10 randomly chosen children to understand the circumstances that led to their admission into institutions, as well as with five former orphanage residents to obtain insight into their current situations.To accomplish our initial goal of data collecting, the children’s levels of loneliness and coping were assessed using the R-UCLA and BRCS measures, respectively. Our second goal was achieved after we analysed the data and connected the results from the R-UCLA and BRCS scales with the replies on our self-made scale for general wellbeing based on the personal hygiene, nutritional, reproductive, and sexual health of our focus population. Results: 2×2 contingency table is made for finding the association between different variables such as R-UCLA and low BMI (p= 0.002), R-UCLA and undernourishment (p= 0.002), R-UCLA and frequency of sudden high fever (p= 0.040), R-UCLA and frequency of headaches (p=0.002) and BRCS and sleep deprivation (p=0.015). Then after applying Pearson’s Chi Square test, it is found out that there is significant association between the two variables under study. Conclusion: Our study projected that, high degree of loneliness and poor coping mechanisms have a direct impact on the general wellbeing of adolescent orphans. Through the interviews we learnt their reasons for admission to the orphanage and how the variables of our study affect their lives beyond the orphanage.
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