An Analysis of Types of Traumatic Events Experienced among Children in Children’s Homes in Nyeri County, Kenya

Abstract

Due to their tender age and level of maturity, children are usually vulnerable to traumatic experiences. This is compounded by the fact that their mistreatment and neglect is astounding. The degrees of exposure to traumatic events experienced by children have been presented by various studies across the globe but it seems little attention has been given to the specific types of traumatic experiences children face. The purpose of this study was to analyse the types of traumatic events experienced among children in children’s homes in Nyeri County, Kenya. The study adopted a Quasi-experimental research design on a target population of two hundred and thirty five children from two selected children’s homes in Nyeri County. Stratified random sampling procedure was used to arrive at the sample of one hundred and sixty children. The study used semi structured questionnaires and the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS-SR-V), a PTSD symptom measure based on DSM-5 to collect data from children. The validation of the research instrument was done by subjecting the items in the questionnaire to content validity and its reliability determined using Pearson chi-square test. The data analysis was computed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Findings from the study generally show that a number of children in children’s homes in Nyeri are exposed to different types of traumatic life events. The research is likely to educate counselors about the types of trauma experienced by children and recommend the most suitable treatment for these traumatic experiences.