Frecuencia de ansiedad y depresión en niñas y adolescentes de la casa de acogida “Miguel León” en el cantón Cuenca, Ecuador

BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are two pathologies of great personal, social and economic im-pact; in many cases both have an early onset. Domestic violence can separate children and adolescents from their families; being sent, most of the times, to foster homes. Children and adolescents in foster homes tend to develop anxiety, depression and stress triggering lifelong emotional and mental difficulties. In this context, the aim of this study was to determine the frequency of anxiety and depression in girls and female adolescents from “Miguel León” Shelter, Cuenca, during 2016, creating statistical data that will allow set-ting protection projects and future studies. METHODS: Descriptive, quantitative cross-sectional study. The study population was stablished with 35 girls and adolescents, aged 5 to 18 years, from a foster home. For data collection, the SPENCE Child Anxiety Scale and the CDI Inventory were applied. Data was processed with Microsoft Excel 2010 and SPSS 15.0. Data is presented in charts and graphics using frequencies and percentages. RESULTS: The frequency of anxiety was 22.86% and the frequent of depression was 17.14%. The most pre-valent age range for both pathologies was 10 to 14 years old with 62.5% and 50% respectively. In both groups, diagnosed with anxiety and diagnosed with depression, the length of stay in the foster home was 0 to 6 months for the majority of the population ( 50 and 66.67% respectively). CONCLUSIÓN: The frequency of depression in girls aged 5 to 18 years, was 17.14%. The frequency of anxie-ty in girls aged from 5 to 18 years in the foster home was 22.86%, values lower than those found in other studies. The age range in which both diseases were most prevalent was, 10-14 years old. Both disorders were more prevalent the shorter the time spent in the foster home. KEYWORDS: Adolescent Health, Depression, Separation Anxiety, Child Protective Services, Anxiety, Foster Home Care.

Revealing Children's Experiences and Emotions through Q Methodology

Over the last two decades, there has been a greater readiness to view children as competent contributors to our understanding of children’s lives and experiences. As a consequence of this, we have witnessed an increased focus on including children in research. When research aims at revealing children’s perspectives, experiences, and emotions, we need to employ methods that are easy-to-use means for obtaining their stories. In this paper, we argue that Q methodology is particularly suitable for facilitating children’s participation in research. We will give a brief presentation of the methodology and demonstrate its relevance for research with children. We do so by presenting two research examples aiming at revealing children’s experiences and emotions in challenging life circumstances. In the first example, Q methodology was used with five-year-old children where the research topic was divorce. The second example is a study on family perceptions among adolescents in foster home care.

The Foster Care System and Health Status of Foster Children

The foster home care system is the most commonly used alternative for the care of dependent children in the United States. However, it often fails to achieve its objective of returning the child to his home or providing a permanent substitute family. Children entering foster care have frequently suffered social, emotional, and medical neglect, and physical abuse. They have a high rate of chronic medical problems, educational handicaps, and severe emotional impairment. In many cases the health care that foster children receive fails to recognize and/or adequately address their disabilities. In order for the pediatric practitioner to work successfully with a foster child, he must not only provide comprehensive health care, but also must be familiar with the social welfare system within which the child lives.