Improving psychosocial well-being of child laborers and young people who are engaged in low-income economic activities in Istanbul,Turkey |
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Authors: | H Özden Bademci E Figen Karadayı İpek Güzide Pur Karabulut Zeynep Kurt Nasir Warfa |
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Institution: | 1. Psychology Department, Maltepe University, Istanbul, Turkey;2. Centre for Trauma, Asylum and Refugees, Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom |
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Abstract: | Child laborers are typically subjected to multiple and chronic traumatic experiences. With no parents or caregivers to act as a buffer zone against stressors, they grow up in chaotic and unpredictable work environments. Child laborers are more at risk of developing a range of psychological, emotional, and behavioral problems. The authors established an 8-month psychosocial support program for child laborers and young people attending a vocational training center one day a week. The authors found that anxiety and depression moderately correlated with negative self-concept, somatization, and hostility. Toward the end of the 8-month program, participants reported improved psychological and emotional well-being. The provision of a safe and mediated psychosocial program enhanced the emotional and mental well-being of vulnerable children and young people. |
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Keywords: | attachment child labor sociocultural perspective trauma |
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