Van Hig Epidemiol 2009, 90(1): 67-71
ProblDamme-Ostapowicz K i wsp. The influence of children s educational environment on their quality of life 67
The influence of children s educational environment
on their quality of life
Wpływ środowiska wychowywania dzieci na ich jakość życia
Katarzyna Van Damme-Ostapowicz 1/, Elżbieta Krajewska-Kułak 1/, Wojciech Kułak 2/, Cecylia A
ukaszuk 1/,
Barbara Jankowiak 1/, Hanna Rolka 1/, Anna Baranowska 1/, Irena Wrońska 3/, Marek Szczepański 4/
1/
Zakład Pielęgniarstwa Ogólnego, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Białymstoku
2/
Klinika Rehabilitacji Dziecięcej, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Białymstoku
3/
Katedra Rozwoju Pielęgniarstwa, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie
4/
Klinika Neonatologii i Intensywnej Terapii Noworodka, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Białymstoku
We współczesnym świecie nie istnieje społeczeństwo nie borykające się In the contemporary world there is no society that would not strive with the
z problemem zapewnienia opieki dzieciom osieroconym i opuszczonym. problem of providing the orphaned and abandoned children with proper
W związku z powyższym od lat poszukiwane są takie formy, które care. Therefore, for many years the society has been seeking the means
zapewniłyby im optymalne warunki rozwoju. that could ensure optimum conditions for their development.
W polskiej rzeczywistości pomoc dla rodzin w trudnej sytuacji jest słabo In the Polish reality, the assistance offered to families in difficult situations
rozwinięta. Możliwości umieszczenia dzieci w profesjonalnych rodzinach has been, so far, poorly developed. The chances to place children in
zastępczych są ciągle niewielkie. Pozostają jedynie placówki opiekuńcze, professional foster families are still scarce. The remaining child care centres
w których umieszcza się dzieci w przekonaniu, że  jest to zło konieczne , are a  necessary evil , however, these centres exist to replace improperly
ale jednocześnie uważa się, że placówki te muszą zastąpić niewłaściwie functioning families.
funkcjonujące rodziny.
To exercise control over the quality of the care available in such centres,
W celu kontroli nad jakością opieki sprawowanej w takich placówkach, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights developed a project within
w Helsińskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, w ramach programu  prawa the framework of the  children s rights programme in order to monitor
dziecka , powstał projekt monitorowania domów dziecka w zakresie children s homes as to their respecting the charges rights.
przestrzegania praw wychowanków.
The children s homes have recently been the most often criticised
W ostatnim czasie najbardziej krytykowane są domy dziecka, ze względu institutions, because of great numbers of children, relatively small and
na znaczną liczbę wychowanków przy nielicznym i zmiennym personelu constantly changing educational personnel, anonymity of the children, lack
wychowawczym, anonimowość dziecka, brak normalnych kontaktów of normal contacts with the society, subordination of everyday activities to
społecznych z otoczeniem, podporządkowanie codziennych czynności specific discipline and regulations; which cannot  even roughly  provide
określonym rygorom i regulaminom; nie są one w stanie nawet w przybliżeniu a child with the conditions of a normally functioning family.
odtworzyć dziecku warunków normalnie funkcjonującej rodziny.
The effects of no individual child-adult relationship are exceptionally painful
Szczególnie dotkliwe są skutki braku indywidualnej więzi między as they result in the emotional loneliness of the child and, consequently,
dzieckiem a dorosłym, co prowadzi do osamotnienia uczuciowego dziecka, in mental and physical developmental disorders.
a w konsekwencji do zaburzeń w rozwoju psychicznym i fizycznym.
Therefore, besides training the children for the everyday self-care
Ważne jest, aby Dom Dziecka obok wdrażania wychowanka do codziennych responsibilities and productive work, it is important for the children s homes
obowiązków samoobsługowych i produktywnej pracy, kształtował szacunek, to teach respect, positive motivation and desirable attitudes. Children s
pozytywną motywację, pożądane postawy. Powinien mieć stworzone takie homes should create such conditions, in which the children could satisfy
warunki, w których wychowanek może zaspokajać swoje potrzeby, a tym their needs, thus achieving complete health. Complete health means
samym osiągać stan pełnego zdrowia. Pełne zdrowie natomiast oznacza somatic, mental, personal, spiritual and social health.
zdrowie somatyczne, psychiczne, osobowe, duchowe i społeczne.
Health constitutes a fundamental element of the quality of life, as
Albowiem zdrowie jest zasadniczym elementem jakości życia, ponieważ the theoretical foundations of the quality of life are based on the
teoretyczne podstawy jakości życia właśnie uwarunkowanej stanem zdrowia multidimensional concept of health within the aspects of physical, mental
opierają się na wielowymiarowej koncepcji zdrowia w wymiarze fizycznego, and social functioning and well-being.
psychicznego i społecznego funkcjonowania oraz dobrego samopoczucia.
Key words: children s educational environment, children s home, quality
Słowa kluczowe: środowisko wychowywania dzieci, dom dziecka, jakość of life
życia
� Probl Hig Epidemiol 2009, 90(1): 67-71 Adres do korespondencji / Address for correspondence
Dr n. med. Katarzyna Van Damme-Ostapowicz
www.phie.pl
Zakład Pielęgniarstwa Ogólnego UMB
ul. M. Skłodowskiej-Curie 7A, 15-096 Białystok
Nadesłano: 12.01.2009
tel. [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]
Zakwalifikowano do druku: 28.03.2009
68 Probl Hig Epidemiol 2009, 90(1): 67-71
Introduction  lack of accommodation as a basis for
establishing a family home and achieving the
To ensure a complete and well-balanced
life stabilization.
development, every child should be raised in a family
2. Migration, most frequently relating to the threat
environment, in the atmosphere of happiness, love and
to social safety and individual freedom.
understanding [9].  Family care is the most primeaval
3. Intensifying social pathology, in particular:
form of care, both in the phylogenetic and ontogenetic
 alcoholism, including particularly dangerous
development of humans. At present, it occupies the
alcoholism among children and teenagers,
central and dominant position among other forms of
 drug addiction,
care, constituting their prototype. It embodies many
 delinquency, including  in particular 
values important for individual and social life and, as
organised crime, depriving people of their sense
such, is generally irreplaceable [10].
of security (attacks, assaults).
As the basic, and most important reference group,
4. Increasing numbers of disabled people resulting
a family decidedly influences the development of
from the intensification of:
views, behaviours and attitudes of its members, also
 ecological risks, influencing the emergence of
with regards to health [11].
developmental disorders as early as the prenatal
Therefore it is true that health begins in a family
period,
circle, as families perform all the prophylactic, caring  diseases, particularly chronic ones, including
and nursing activities that strengthen human health
hardly curable or incurable diseases, (according
[12,13] and that the health of individuals depends, to
to the current medical knowledge),
a high degree, on the proper family functions [14].
 accidents at work, in households, particularly
in road traffic [19].
Discussion
Basically, at present, it is not a problem of biological
The Convention on the Rights of the Child orphanage, but more often of the social orphanage,
states that the family, as a  basic unit of society and since only several percent of the charges in children s
the natural environment for the development and homes are natural orphans. Problems of children
interests of all its members, children in particular, (...) incompetently or wrongly treated by their parents are
should be protected sufficiently well, and supported predominant. We face cases of the child neglect when
in order to fulfil its duties within the society [15]. their families do not satisfy the children s important
mental and physical needs [20].
It influences the development of the child s
personality through the whole organisation of inner Undoubtedly, children who were temporarily or
family life and the social relationships within it [16]. permanently deprived of their family environment,
including those who cannot stay with their families
The situation of a child has always been and still is
for their own good, should be specially protected and
a result of a series of material and cultural conditions
assisted by the State. Such care may mean: adoption,
together with specific conditions, resulting from the
placing a child in a foster family or, when necessary,
child s individual characteristics, family relationships
placing a child in a relevant child care institution
and random events [17]. Among the phenomena that
[21].
influence the destabilization of the child s own family
which is its basic life environment, consequently The children s home, as the most common form
leading to the most dangerous situation for a child of institutional care for children, may be defined
 the loss of family care or serious disorders in its as:  a care and counselling institution established
functioning leading to the undertaking of the caring in order to provide care for children and teenagers
activities by the society  we may enumerate the who have been permanently or periodically deprived
following [18]: of such care in their own families, thus taking over
1. Threat to the population s social safety, in their functions and tasks in order to compensate for
particular: deficiencies resulting from neglect and dysfunctions in
 unemployment, causing not only a material families from which such children or teenagers come
threat (no means to satisfy needs), but also from . In 2004 there were 338 care-and-counselling
violating man s subjectivity, experienced institutions operating in Poland, while in 2003 their
particularly by the youth who are starting their number increased to 382 [22]. In 2002 and 2003,
life and by disabled people, only in the Podlaskie voivodeship there were 10 care-
 material privation (poverty spheres), relating and-counselling institutions [22].
to difficulties in obtaining sufficient means
Asking the question of what exactly the desired
to satisfy both the adults and the children s
care and counselling situation of the charges in
needs,
children s homes consists, one generally expects the
Van Damme-Ostapowicz K i wsp. The influence of children s educational environment on their quality of life 69
answer:  It consists of stabilizing and optimizing deterioration of the life conditions of the charges.
the satisfaction of their biological and psycho- There are no funds to organize trips, summer or winter
sociological needs, thus, on the whole, realizing their camps. Moreover, high personnel turnover becomes
well-being in life, and, in a system of educationally a common phenomenon [4,19].
appropriate personnel, the development of stimuli
Apart from that, numerous literature reports
and corresponding forms of individual activity which
indicate the poor health status of children raised in
induce their versatile development and train them to
children s homes, which influences the quality of
perform various social roles with dignity  [23].
their lives. Incorrect physical development (body
The children s home should, first of all, carry height and weight below the standard) and a weaker
out the following care-and-counselling activities, as general health status were ascertained in the majority
a substitute for a family: of children. A significant percentage of such children
 ensure personal safety and protect the child s show the characteristics of social maladjustment.
physical and mental health, Lacking positive patterns in their families, they
 satisfy material needs, frequently manifest certain habits contradictory to
 ensure conditions for learning and opportunity to the accepted standards of social life, face difficulties
gain a profession, when entering into social relationships with adults
 develop interests and satisfy cultural needs, and within peer groups. The basic reasons for their
 introduce the child to social life, frequent learning problems lie in social neglect
 train the child to live in his/her own family [23]. and disharmonious child s development. Younger
children, in the post-infant period and the early school
On the other hand, the charges of a care-and-
period, show disorders relating to the separation
counselling institution have the right for [18]:
anxiety disorder caused by unsatisfied emotional
 a positive motivation to stay in the institution,
needs. Since their birth, the children in care-and-
 a stabilization of the personal relationships in
counselling institutions do not comprehend basic
the following configurations: children  children,
family relationships [24].
children  personnel,
 a real participation in shaping the life conditions In her research, Socha-Kołodziej confirmed that
in a children s home, the most frequent educational problems at work in
 democratic interrelationships, children s homes are as follows: children s negative
 s t i mu l at i n g i n d i v i d u a l a n d c ol l e c t i ve attitude towards learning, school, teachers; disorders in
perspectives, children s behaviour: lies, hypersensitivity, vulgarisms,
 a joy of life and dreams, avoidance of lessons, truancy, 57% of children show
 a personal and collective protection and safety, aggression towards peers and others, 12% are fearful
 an unbiased and fair evaluation of behaviour, and passive, 20% are prone to resignation and isolation
 a balance of the rights and the requirements, in contact with their peers, as well as the incorrect
 entering into friendly relationships and love, attitudes of care-givers towards their charges [6].
 a choice of moral ways and the responsibility for
A long time ago Matyjas showed, as Telka
these choices,
presents [25], that teenagers who have stayed in an
 forgiving mistakes and limiting punishment in
institution for several years show the characteristics
favour of incentives strengthening the positive
of indifference, negation of values valid in social
motivation,
life; their attitude towards life strikes with certain
 as far as possible, redressing the damages and
temporariness, casualness, indifference towards the
wrongs done willingly or unwillingly,
future, mental weariness and a lack of dynamics, of
 respecting the secrets and privacy of his/her
 life impetus . These teenagers appreciate material
personal experiences,
values, neglecting spiritual ones, wanting to  get away
 strengthening the will,
and enjoy life . Matyjas admits that typical traits
 taking advantage of the conditions for learning and
shown by the teenagers covered by her research are
assuming the socially accepted values of life.
as follows: aversion towards learning, aggression or
It is a common knowledge that the institution of a isolation from contacts, a lowered level of abstractive
children s home has been facing serious problems for and logical thinking, arrogance and consumerism
a long time. The economic crisis negatively influences [25]. This has also been confirmed in research
the services rendered by these institutions in favour conducted by other authors [26].
of orphaned children. Permanent shortage of money
Telka [25] states that the research carried out
for repairs, equipment, cleaning agents, clothes for
by Turos proved that the social relationships of the
the charges, teaching aids and food, results in debts,
charge with the external world are very narrowed,
faster devastation of buildings, and involves systematic
because the charges most frequently choose to place
70 Probl Hig Epidemiol 2009, 90(1): 67-71
their friendships inside their care institutions, where After all, children s homes form a peculiar part
they feel better than at school. Among their friends, of the society that creates them. As such, they should
those liked by children, we may count the following: unquestionably be its normal and healthy part, since
care-givers in a care institution (54%), peers from the it is necessary to maintain the proper quality of
same children s home (43.7%) and siblings in the care children s lives and their appropriate preparation for
institution (32%). It was also confirmed by Lis [27]. self-reliance within the society [29]. Thus, their tasks
involve the creation of the following proper conditions
As Telka [25] quotes, Czyżewska proved that
for the charges correct development: educational,
care-givers try to create favourable conditions for the
healthy and material, as well as the facilitation of
correct physical development of children, maintenance
developmental and re-socialization processes [6].
of health, acquisition of ability to co-exist with
peers, training children in self-care and preparation It is worth emphasizing that the activities aimed at
for professional work, reducing school failures. improving the health status, which is a basic element
Nevertheless, she thinks that even assuming the of the quality of life, should be undertaken in many
best organisation of educational work, the children s areas, namely: at home, in the place of residence, at
homes cannot ensure appropriate conditions for the school, within peer environment etc. Health needs
full emotional development of their charges or satisfy of young people are conditioned by many factors, e.g.:
their psychological needs [24]. healthy environment, information, knowledge and
the skills necessary to maintain health conditions,
Numerous opponents of the care institutions stress
proper individual psycho-social and psycho-sexual
their anonymity, poor world experiences and notions
development, health care services, the health-
and the child s feeling of being lost [27]. Children s
promotion and health-protection policy; healthy
homes are institutions for collective education, which
lifestyle and favourable conditions for all the factors
poses the danger of suppressing the individualities of
enumerated above [30].
their charges, as well as no opportunities to project
their own fate [28].
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