Mental Health Impact of the Institutionalization of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Orphanage Homes in Bayelsa, Southern Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigerian Society, the child is highly cherished, not only by parents but also by the family, the community, and the country at large. It is equally the cultural norm that the care and upbringing of the child is shared by all the family members and community. But when the child loses the parents, he or she might find his or her self in orphanage homes. The circumstances in which Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) find themselves in these homes predispose them to mental health challenges. This study, therefore, sought to find out the mental health impact of the institutionalization of OVCs in the orphanage homes in Bayelsa State. The theoretical framework that guided the study was the Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs. The research adopted a mixed research design. Three orphanage homes, 70 inmates and 6 care givers constituted the sample population. A questionnaire, observations and in-depth interviews were used in the data collection processes. The statistics used for data analysis were mainly simple percentages and mean. The result showed that the children exhibited anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and other emotional problems. They felt unhappy and asserted that there was no advantage in being in the orphanage homes. The study recommends that guardians of orphans and teachers in orphanage homes should work closely in order to identify the children's behavioral problems and develop better ways of intervening in the challenging situations from families as these affect the behavior of orphans, especially in school.