Prevalence of Aggressive Behavior among Children Co-Detained with Imprisoned Mothers in a Selected Prison of North India

Background: Prison environment cannot be same as that of home environment. A home is comprised by family members and safety umbrella of elements of basic needs essential for child growth and development. In the prison, children co-detained with imprisoned mother are surrounded by other imprisoned women and various restricted environmental factors. Environment has major influence to mould the innate tendency of aggressive behavior in the children. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and severity of aggressive behavior among children co-detained with imprisoned mothers. Methods: The data was collected from the imprisoned mothers of co-detained children by direct interview technique. A structured interview schedule was used for collecting information related to child’s aggressive behavior. A total of sixteen co-detained children in the age group of three to five years were included in the study. Results: The aggressive behavior was found to be present in 13(16) co-detained children with the prevalence of 81%. As far as severity of aggressive behavior is concerned, 19% of co-detained children had mild or no aggressive behavior, 31% had moderate aggressive behavior and 50% had severe aggressive behavior. Conclusion: More than three fourth of co-detained children in the age group of three to five years were found to have moderate to severe aggressive behavior warranting the need from prison authority to develop appropriate strategies to control child exposure to violent environmental factors (real or virtual). Keywords: Pleural; Imaging; Ultrasound; Malignancy; Surgery