N. V. Alexandrova1, O. V. Zaitseva, E. S. Asmakovets
natalie_v_al@inbox.ru
Dostoevsky Omsk State University, Omsk, Russian Federation
Omsk Humanitarian Academy, Omsk, Russian Federation 3
Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation 4
Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russian Federation
Information and educational activities in the field of children’s mental
health problems among substitute parents in the prevention of secondary orphanages in the Omsk region
Abstract: Problems in the state of mental health of social orphans are more common than in the population of
children brought up in blood families. The reasons for this are a genetic burden of endogenous mental disorders and
personality pathology, damage to the central nervous system caused by parental abuse of psychoactive substances and
an antisocial lifestyle, and a severe early traumatic experience. A study was conducted using the method of questioning
among substitute parents. The questionnaire included questions that revealed signs of mental and behavioral disorders in
children, ideas about the possibilities of psychiatric care and attitudes toward it. The presence of manifestations of mental
illness in most of the adopted children and insufficient understanding of the painful nature of the difficulties with their
accompaniment were revealed. This is regarded as one of the risk factors for the abandonment of children and their return
to boarding institutions. The presence of distorted or unrealistic ideas about the possibilities of psychiatric care is noted.
The high need for substitute parents for informational support in the field of children’s mental health problems and their
solutions was revealed. Such forms of conducting outreach activities as group training events and individual clinical and
psychological consultative support for the process of raising a foster child are indicated.
Keywords: foster parents, foster families, social orphans, outreach activities, signs of mental disorders, prevention
of secondary orphanhood.
Paper submitted: May 2, 2023.
For citation: Alexandrova N. V., Zaitseva O. V., Asmakovets E. S. (2024) Information and educational activities in the field
of children’s mental health problems among substitute parents in the prevention of secondary orphanages in the Omsk region.
Russian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 160–171. DOI: 10.57015/issn1998-5320.2024.18.1.15.
