Relationship between psychological abuse and juvenile delinquency among girls in Kirigiti Girls Rehabilitation and Training Center, Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

Juvenile delinquency among girls has been on the increase all over the world and has variously been attributed to child abuse. The purpose of this study was to find out the relationship between psychological abuse and juvenile delinquency among girls committed to Kirigiti Girls Rehabilitation and Training Centre (KGRTC). This study was guided by the following research objectives, namely to; establish the extent of juvenile delinquency, prevalence of psychological abuse and find out the relationship between psychological abuse and juvenile delinquency among girls in KGRTC. The study was conceptualized by Attachment Theory and used an ex-post facto research design. The population of the study comprised of 61 girl child offenders. The research used a census inquiry that included all the 61 girls at KGRTC in the study. Questionnaires were administered to the girls in order to collect data for the study. The validity of the tools was established through expert opinion, while reliability was determined using Cronbach Coefficient Alpha and a reliability coefficient of 0.855 was attained which was considered an appropriate threshold. The data was analyzed by means of inferential and descriptive statistics with the assistance of the computer software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26. The study established that psychological abuse was positively associated with juvenile delinquency. There was a strong, positive correlation between the psychological abuse and juvenile delinquency (r = + .696, n=57, p < .01). The findings of this research suggest the need to address the problem of juveniles from a holistic perspective including the issue of addressing childhood experiences such as psychological abuse and use of appropriate forums to sensitize parents on appropriate parenting and the consequences of child abuse.