Mental Health Disparities among Orphaned and Non-Orphaned Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Approximately 153 million children worldwide face orphanhood, with 17.8 million losing both of their parents. Parental carelessness raises the likelihood of stress, anxiety, and depression and can cause severe psychological suffering. Orphans frequently deal with extra difficulties that affect their general well-being, such as social prejudice, restricted access to healthcare ,education, and mental discomfort. Research comparing the mental anguish of orphaned and non-orphaned children is still limited, despite increased awareness of mental well-being issues. Assessing and comparing the stress, anxiety, and depression levels of orphans and non-orphans in the districts of Swabi and Peshawar is the aim of this study.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Swabi and Peshawar, among 326 children aged 8–16. The sample included 163 orphans residing in orphanages and 163 non-orphans living with relatives. Data were collected using the DASS-21 scale.  SPSS version 20.0 was employed to conduct the analysis, using a Mann-Whitney U test to compare the groups.

Results: Depression, anxiety and stress were compared between orphans and non-orphans using a Mann-Whitney U test. The analysis found that orphans had much higher depression and anxiety scores than non-orphans (U = 8416.000, Z = -6.058, p = 0.001; U = 7314.000, Z = -7.159, p < 0.001). The stress level experienced by orphans and non-orphans was not found to be different on average (U = 11503.500, Z = -2.272, p = 0.23).

Conclusions: The findings underscore the heightened mental health burden among orphans, emphasizing the need for targeted psychological support and intervention strategies