Prevalence and Correlates of Complicated Grief among Parentally Bereaved Children in Siaya County, Kenya

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Main Authors: Ngesa, Maureen O., Tuikong, Sylvia, Ongaro, Kennedy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: African Journal of Clinical Psychology 2024
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Online Access:https://repository.daystar.ac.ke/handle/123456789/4871
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author Ngesa, Maureen O.
Tuikong, Sylvia
Ongaro, Kennedy
author_facet Ngesa, Maureen O.
Tuikong, Sylvia
Ongaro, Kennedy
author_sort Ngesa, Maureen O.
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description Journal Article
format Article
id oai:repository.daystar.ac.ke:123456789-4871
institution Daystar University
language English
publishDate 2024
publisher African Journal of Clinical Psychology
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spelling oai:repository.daystar.ac.ke:123456789-48712024-07-29T10:16:04Z Prevalence and Correlates of Complicated Grief among Parentally Bereaved Children in Siaya County, Kenya Ngesa, Maureen O. Tuikong, Sylvia Ongaro, Kennedy Complicated grief Orphaned children Parental death and Pathological grief. Journal Article Abstract Death of a parent is considered as the most traumatic event that a child could go through. The psychological vulnerability coupled with sociocultural factors associated with bereavement further predispose children to risks of developing complicated grief. Although many of the reactions experienced by bereaved children are below the level that would indicate a disorder, orphaned children experience the significant difficulty that warrants clinical diagnosis and treatment. Considering that complicated grief in children is a less researched area particularly in Kenya, there is limited literature on the prevalence of complicated grief among orphaned children. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of orphaned children aged 10-15 years in selected public primary schools in Siaya County and assess risk factors associated with the development of complicated grief. The participants in this study were orphaned children who had experienced the death of at least one parent. A total of 426 orphans from 12 public primary schools were screened using the Brief Grief Questionnaire (BGQ). Those found to have elevated grief scores on the BGQ were then administered the Inventory for Complicated Grief to determine the clinical levels of grief. Out of the 426 participants screened, there were 397 valid screens in which 34% (n=134) scored less than 5 points while 263 participants (66%) scored 5 points and above indicating that they had significantly elevated/pathological grief symptoms. A binomial test was used to determine the prevalence of grief, and linear regression analysis was used to establish risk factors associated with complicated grief. Using the Inventory for Complicated Grief (ICG), to determine the clinical levels, a mean grief score of 31.6 (SD = 9.52) was recorded. The results further revealed that the number of siblings, separation from siblings, and level of closeness to deceased mother were associated with significantly elevated grief scores while age, gender and level of closeness with deceased father were not associated with increased levels of grief. The results on prevalence and risk factors are critical in identifying bereaved children at high risk of developing complicated grief and targeting grief interventions for these vulnerable groups. Daystasr University 2024-07-29T10:13:33Z 2024-07-29T10:13:33Z 2020 Article Ngesa, Maureen O., Tuikong, Sylvia., & Ongaro, Kennedy., (2020)., Prevalence and Correlates of Complicated Grief among Parentally Bereaved Children in Siaya County, Kenya., African Journal of Clinical Psychology., Vol. 02, Issue 03. 978-9966-936-05-9 https://repository.daystar.ac.ke/handle/123456789/4871 en application/pdf African Journal of Clinical Psychology
spellingShingle Complicated grief
Orphaned children
Parental death
and Pathological grief.
Ngesa, Maureen O.
Tuikong, Sylvia
Ongaro, Kennedy
Prevalence and Correlates of Complicated Grief among Parentally Bereaved Children in Siaya County, Kenya
title Prevalence and Correlates of Complicated Grief among Parentally Bereaved Children in Siaya County, Kenya
title_full Prevalence and Correlates of Complicated Grief among Parentally Bereaved Children in Siaya County, Kenya
title_fullStr Prevalence and Correlates of Complicated Grief among Parentally Bereaved Children in Siaya County, Kenya
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence and Correlates of Complicated Grief among Parentally Bereaved Children in Siaya County, Kenya
title_short Prevalence and Correlates of Complicated Grief among Parentally Bereaved Children in Siaya County, Kenya
title_sort prevalence and correlates of complicated grief among parentally bereaved children in siaya county, kenya
topic Complicated grief
Orphaned children
Parental death
and Pathological grief.
url https://repository.daystar.ac.ke/handle/123456789/4871
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AT tuikongsylvia prevalenceandcorrelatesofcomplicatedgriefamongparentallybereavedchildreninsiayacountykenya
AT ongarokennedy prevalenceandcorrelatesofcomplicatedgriefamongparentallybereavedchildreninsiayacountykenya