Pakistani orphanage caregivers' perspectives regarding their caregiving abilities, personal and orphan children's psychological wellbeing.
Amina Khalid, Alina Morawska, Karen M T Turner
PMID 35771173WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers in Pakistani orphanages reported no prior professional training and high stress from long shifts.
They relied on faith and peer support to cope. They identified a strong need for context-specific training to manage children's behavioural issues and their own well-being.
Key findings
01All caregivers reported lacking prior professional training, relying instead on trial and error or guidance from senior staff.
02Caregivers experienced high physical and psychological stress due to long shifts (10-12 hours) and high child-to-caregiver ratios, with female caregivers reporting more exhaustion than males.
03Caregivers identified specific training needs including managing temper tantrums, gaining children's trust, and improving communication skills, rather than generic parenting advice.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study included only three orphanages in one city, limiting generalizability. Interviews may not have fully disclosed maltreatment or structural issues due to caregiver discomfort. The sample was small (14 caregivers) and self-selected. There was no psychologist in the orphanages, so clinical outcomes for children were not assessed.
Declared interests
The Parenting and Family Support Centre is partly funded by royalties from the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program. Dr Morawska and Dr Turner receive royalties from Triple P International, though the company had no involvement in this study's design or analysis.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that training improves child outcomes. The study reports caregivers' perspectives on their needs and stress; it did not measure the children's developmental or psychological outcomes.