Personality, social responsibility and anxiety: a study of deprived and delinquent children

ABSTRACT

Background: Deprived child is a child who is not receiving proper parental care; this includes a child who is not getting proper food, is not going to school, or is not receiving proper medical care; a child who has been illegally adopted; a child who has been abandoned; a child who does not have a parent or guardian. Delinquent children are those who have been adjudicated by a judicial officer of a juvenile court as having committed a delinquent act. Aims: The present study is aimed at looking into certain dimensions which have an impact on the lives of deprived and delinquent children, and to study the factors which plague their behaviours and adjustments. Methods: The sample of 240 which included 120 Delinquent children and 120 deprived children of age 15 to 16 was drawn from the observation home. The literacy level of subjects was upto class VIIIth. The adapted version of Eysenck’s (1970) M.P.I. by Jalota and Kapoor (1975), Gough’s (1954) “Social Responsibility Scale adapted to Indian situation by Kaur (1982) and Sinha Anxiety Scale (1976) was administered. Results: In deprived children, there is a significant positive correlation between `neuroticism and anxiety’; and `extraversion and social responsibility’. Conclusion: There is a need for mental health professionals to address these issues while dealing with such children.