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Passing from Freedom to Happiness • 659
| Oral Presentation |
Predictors of Psychological Readinee for Community Integration
of Children in Conflict with the Law in Metro Manila
Stephanie Ann G. BALID (University of Santo Tomas, College of Rehabilitation Sciences)
Marie Ann VARGAS (The Graduate School, University of Santo Tomas)
Oral Presentation - 3.4.2
INTRODUCTION
The definition of children in conflict with the law according to United Nation Children’s Fund or
UNICEF refers to anyone under 18 who comes into contact with the justice system as a result of being suspected or
accused of committing an offense (UniCeF, May 2006). In reference with the law, an almost similar definition by RA
9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare System states that "Child in Conflict with the Law" refers to a child who is
alleged as, accused of, or adjudged as having committed an offense under Philippine laws. The United Nations Human
Rights System includes two articles that directly relate to the children in conflict with the law, Article 37, on Torture
and Deprivation of Liberty, and Article 40, on the Administration of Juvenile Justice (August 2006, Special Edition on
Children in Conflict with the Law). It states that no child shall be subjected to torture, cruel treatment or punishment,
unlawful arrest or deprivation of liberty. The article clearly states that any child deprived of liberty shall be separated
from adults unless it is considered in the child’s best interest not to do so. The situation has been related to complaints
of abuse, maltreatment and also becomes a training ground for them to learn new tricks in the illegal trade that further
increased the risk for recidivism. The second article, states that a child in conflict with the law has the right to treatment
that promotes the child's sense of dignity and worth; it takes the child's age into account and aims at his or her
reintegration into society. Community integration of the children in conflict with the law has been a multidimensional
construct that involves various agencies collaborating with each other. There is a great challenge in providing quality
management, assessment and intervention to children in conflict with the law here in the country. In as much effort
was exerted to adapt a model geared toward client-centered care, there still remains several issues that need to
be addressed. There is a necessity for collaboration between the client and the family, mental health professionals
and other agencies to achieve a goal of finally integrating the children in conflict with the law to the community.
The researcher considered this collaboration as an important yet oftentimes overlooked area in many cases of child-
centered care. The researcher looked into the demographic profile of the CICL as well as four important variables for
psychological readiness, namely: impact of stigma, psychological resiliency, quality of life, and treatment beliefs as
identified through literature review and focused group discussion that should be considered as factors for successful
community integration.
Theoretical Framework
Criminological theories are very wide in scope. It offers numerous explanations to criminal behavior and no
one theory can explain in a comprehensive manner. Theories of the causes of crime and deviance fall on a continuum
from a “micro” focus on the characteristics of individuals to a “macro” focus on the characteristics of the larger society.
660 • The 20th Asian Conference on Intellectual Disabilities
| Oral Presentation |
The Psychodynamic perspective by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) views the development of behavior as a result early
childhood development. Friedlander (1947) elaborated on the theory when she wrote “The psychoanalytic approach
to juvenile delinquency.” It claims that criminal activity is the result of a conflict between the id, ego, and superego;
all of which can be traced back to a conflict in early childhood or the result of an improper fixation during a stage of
emotional development. It is a general perspective that looks into the psychological functioning, development, and
adjustment of an individual in explaining criminal or deviant acts. According to the social learning theory as explained in
the study done by Akers et.al, (2004), crime is learned through interaction with others in one’s social environment.
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework shows that community integration involves a strong collaboration between the
primary stakeholders and the secondary stakeholders working closely most especially in the discharge-planning stage
when the transition happens. The importance of a client-centered approach is emphasized since most of the time in
developing a program, the professional judgment is the only one considered. This could either lead to frustration from
the client who does not want to address the problems presented to him, or to the professional for not being able
to achieve the goals due to lack of motivation from the client. Either way, these two circumstances lead to a failure
of the program or lack of sustainability in the long run. To prevent this from happening, the program should be well
planned, which includes valuable information from the client especially on goal-setting and even the way the program
should be implemented. After all, the program for community integration involves collaborative partnership and strong
communication for it to work. Each detail of the program should be discussed meticulously with the client making sure
that it is understood; otherwise this could lead to confusion or failure of the whole program.
On one end there is a figure representing the institutionalized children in conflict with the law and on the
other end, there is a figure representing the community-dwelling children in conflict with the law. For a successful
community integration all of the following must be considered: the person (demographic profile such as age, gender,
Passing from Freedom to Happiness • 661
| Oral Presentation |
educational attainment, length of stay in the institution, nature of offense, number of readmission, self-stigma,
resiliency, quality of life and treatment belief) at the core, social variables at the next level wherein the effects of public
stigma, resiliency and treatment belief will also be placed in priority and lastly, at the outer level, the community’s effect
on both the primary and secondary stakeholders.
Statement of the problem:
The study would answer the following questions:
1. What is the demographic profile of children in conflict with the law in terms of?
a. Age
b. Gender
c. Family dynamics
d. Socio-economic status
e. Years in the institution
f. Nature of Offense
g. Number of readmission
2. What are the predictors for community integration based from the literature and secondary stakeholders?
3. What are the mean scores and standard deviation value of the respondents in the following variables when
grouped according to the demographic profile?
a. Impact of stigma as measured by the Stigma scale
b. Perception to interventions received as measured by the Treatment belief questionnaire
c. The degree of resiliency as measured by the Resiliency Scale
d. Quality of life of children as measured by the WHO_QOL BREF
4. Is there a significant relationship between the demographic profile and the psychological variables:
a. Stigma
b. Resiliency
c. Quality of Life
d. Perception on intervention received
5. Is there a significant relationship between the following variables for children in conflict with the law regardless
of the demographic profile:
a. Impact of stigma and Psychological resiliency
b. Impact of stigma and Quality of life
c. Impact of stigma and Treatment belief
d. Psychological resiliency and Quality of Life
e. Psychological resiliency and Treatment belief
f. Quality of life and treatment belief
662 • The 20th Asian Conference on Intellectual Disabilities
| Oral Presentation |
6. Is there a significant relationship between the following psychological variables for when grouped according to
the demographic profile?
a. Impact of stigma and Psychological resiliency
b. Impact of stigma and Quality of life
c. Impact of stigma and Treatment belief
d. Psychological resiliency and Quality of Life
e. Psychological resiliency and Treatment belief
f. Quality of life and treatment belief
7. Of the so many significant relationships, which variables are good predictors of community integration of
children in conflict with the law?
8. How do community-dwelling children perceive their experience of being in conflict with the law in terms of their
actual psychological readiness for community integration?
Hypothesis
The researcher has two null hypotheses as stated below:
There is no significant relationship between stigma, resiliency, perception on interventions being received and
the quality of life of children in conflict with the law.
There is no significant relationship between the demographic profile of children in conflict with the law and
the psychological variables stigma, resiliency, quality of life, and perception on interventions being received.
Methodology
The researcher aims to identify the predictors of psychological readiness for community integration of children in
conflict with the law by utilizing a mixed methodology of quantitative and qualitative data to examine the different
variables included as predictors to a successful community integration of children in conflict with the law. The research
consists of four phases. The first phase includes identifying the baseline predictors for community integration, through a
qualitative analysis wherein the research starts inductively with initial generation of open coding through focused group
discussion among secondary stakeholders or the mental health professional, and generating a framework evolving into
a deductive process of examining it against the existing literature. In this study, the researcher developed categories and
themes only after the participants have given information.
The second phase includes the validation of the translated questionnaires that measures the important
variables identified during the first phase from English to Filipino language, which involves the process of forward and
backward translation of questionnaires as well as testing the content and concurrent validity through panel review and
pilot testing to normal adolescents 15-18 years of age.
In between qualitative approaches, the third phase focused on the administration of the questionnaires to the
target population to find out the relationship between variables identified and its correlation with each other through
Passing from Freedom to Happiness • 663
| Oral Presentation |
a descriptive correlational design. This quantitative design offers verification of the domains identified during the first
phase of the study through the responses gathered from institutionalized children in conflict with the law.
Phase 4 involves conducting a semi-structured interview with a thematic analysis, to be able to identify the
actual sense of readiness from the perspective of children in conflict with the law through a phenomenological study. A
phenomenological study is a specific tradition of a qualitative design wherein the participants were interviewed about
their experiences on the actual readiness for community integration, as they experienced transition between being
institutionalized to being reintegrated back to the community, without the researcher specifying categories. This design
aided in the comprehension of predictors or factors that predispose children to be in conflict with the law that was
obtained. (Patton, 2002) Most importantly, quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated and validated.
The researcher employed a purposive sampling method on all of the four phases of the study. Participants will be
gathered through purposive sampling technique wherein the criteria will be set initially, the criteria will be described and
outlined in the different phases of the study so that the researcher could handpick a sample according to the nature
of the research problem and the phenomenon under study. It is the sampling method of choice in qualitative studies
where generalization of results is less important. (Marlow & Boone, 2005) The consort diagram below summarized the
research procedure:
664 • The 20th Asian Conference on Intellectual Disabilities
| Oral Presentation |
Passing from Freedom to Happiness • 665
| Oral Presentation |
Presentation and Analysis of DataDemographic profile of children in conflict with the law
Three hundred seven out of three hundred seven questionnaires that were sent out were returned to the researcher,
which is more than the set 90% response rate. From the 307, 302 were able to answer the questionnaires without
duplication of responses nor blank responses since the researcher went back to clarify responses with the respondents
in the institutions. The other five were excluded because they were already discharged from the institutions by the time
the researcher went back to clarify their responses. This is reflective of the basic profile of children in conflict with the
law as seen in the second chapter with the review of literature, both locally and internationally.
The total number of respondents from the institutions was presented in below:
Table 3. Respondents from the Institutions
666 • The 20th Asian Conference on Intellectual Disabilities
| Oral Presentation |
Three institutions participated in the study namely: Manila Youth Reception Center which comprised 65% of the
participants or 198 out of 307, followed by Molave Youth Homes, which comprised 31% of the participants or 96 out
of 307 and lastly, 4% or 13 out of 307 from Pasay Youth Homes.
The summary of the demographic profile is presented in the Table 2. This will show the percentage of children
in conflict with the law according to age, gender, educational attainment, family dynamics, length of stay, nature
of offense and parents’ occupation, rate of readmission. On the next paragraph, each demographic profile will be
discussed in detail:
Passing from Freedom to Happiness • 667
| Oral Presentation |
668 • The 20th Asian Conference on Intellectual Disabilities
| Oral Presentation |
The predictors of psychological readiness for community integration of children in conflict with the law based on the literature review and the perspective of secondary stakeholders (focus group discussion)
The literature portrays several factors that predispose children to be in conflict with the law. The current
study utilized a focus group discussion on secondary stakeholders supported the studies found in the literature.
The transcribed audio recording was analyzed to look for relevant texts and common themes. Factors within the
individual and in the society were considered influential on why children commit crime. On a study done by Stanhope
& Lancaster (2000), three categories were identified to be factors that predispose children to break the law and
these were classified as personal, family and community. Personal factors relate to substance abuse, coping skills and
delinquency as influenced by their peers. Factors under the category of Family included divorce, presence or absence
of one parent, poor parenting skills, stepchildren being treated differently by their step-parent and poverty. Community
factors indicated lack of support from the community and the stigma that led the children to feel rejected. The current
study based on the conceptual framework identified the three major categories of variables namely: personal, social,
Passing from Freedom to Happiness • 669
| Oral Presentation |
and community, similar to the study discussed previously. The transcribed interview from the secondary stakeholders
who participated in the focus group discussion were quoted in line with the discussion of the literature on the specific
variables identified.
The mean scores and standard deviation of the respondents to the variables such as stigma, resilience, treatment belief and quality of life and the demographic profile of children in conflict with the law
In terms of the mean and standard deviation scores of the respondents who answered the questionnaires,
namely stigma administered namely, stigma scale, resilience scale, treatment belief questionnaires and WHO-QOL BREF,
the results were summarized in the Table 5:
Table 5. Summary of the mean scores and standard deviation scores of respondents to psychological variables and
demographic profile of children in conflict with the law
670 • The 20th Asian Conference on Intellectual Disabilities
| Oral Presentation |
The relationship between each of the psychological variables, stigma, resilience, treatment belief and quality of life with the demographic profile of children in conflict with the law
Table 7. AGE AND:
Significant association exists between age and resilience since the p value of 0.0019 is less than 0.05. However,
the association is inverse and low. This means that as the child in conflict with the law gets older, the degree of
resilience decreases. According to the literature, resilience should be viewed as being “fluid over time.” Emmy Werner
and Ruth Smith (2001) in children who lived in Hawaii in spite of high risk factors such as poverty, maltreatment,
parental substance abuse and mental illness, showed that they were able to develop confidently as accomplished
adults.
Table 8. GENDER AND:
There is a significant association between resilience and gender since the computed p value of 0.0017 is less than
0.05. However, the association is low. The Minnesota Health Survey analyzed data from 36,000 students from public
schools in Grades 7-12. The literature revealed that adolescent girls tend to deal with their problems by turning inward,
while adolescent boys tend to deal with their problem by directing their behavior towards others. However the above-
mentioned behaviors were not gender-exclusive, as there are cross-overs in gender, as seen especially in girls. Over
80% of girls were at high risk of acting-out behavior when they have exhibited two or more inward behaviors.
Table 9. LENGTH OF STAY AND:
No significant relationship between length of stay and any of the four questionnaires were seen.
Table 10. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AND:
No significant relationship between educational attainment and any of the four questionnaires were seen.
Passing from Freedom to Happiness • 671
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Table 11. MONTHS DETAINED AND:
No significant relationship between months detained and any of the four questionnaires were seen.
Table 12. FAMILY DYNAMICS AND:
There is a significant association between family dynamics and QOL since the computed p value of 0.0442 is
less than 0.05. The results showed an inverse relationship between the two variables; as the family disintegrates, the
perceived quality of life increases, and that is explained by the study done at the University of Alberta by Strohschein.
(2005) It revealed that it is not advisable to remain together for the sake of the child because they undergo detrimental
effects right before the divorce happens, as they witness parents living together but arguing intensively everyday. In
fact, with children who live in highly dysfunctional families, the level of antisocial behavior declined after the divorce.
Table 13. PARENTAL OCCUPATION AND:
There are no significant relationship between parental occupation and any of the four questionnaires.
Table 14. WAGE EARNER AND:
There are no significant relationship between wage earner and any of the four questionnaires
Table 15. NATURE OF OFFENSE AND:
672 • The 20th Asian Conference on Intellectual Disabilities
| Oral Presentation |
There is a significant association between nature of offense and QOL since the computed p value of 0.0177 is less
than 0.05. However, the relationship is low and inverse. As the quality of life decreases, the rate of crime increases
which is explained by the experiences of children in conflict with the law in the current study as well as in the previously
cited studies found on the literature explaining as poverty as one of the main reasons why children commit crime
(especially those involving crimes against property such as theft and robbery.) The study in Davao City done by Templa
(2004) revealed reasons for committing an offense based from the interview of children in conflict with the law which
mostly includes reasons such as to earn a living.
The relationship of the different psychological variables stigma, resilience, quality of life and treatment belief with each other regardless of the demographic profile
The raw scores from the respondents were analyzed through Pearson’s correlation to see if there is any
significant relationship between the variables. The results were summarized in the table below.
Table 16. The summary of relationship between the questionnaires administered
Based on the above table, there is no significant association among the results gathered using the four
questionnaires since the computed p values are greater than 0.05. It is not statistically significant. This is due to the
scattered responses from the respondents as reflected by the standard deviation among the scores. Furthermore,
since the raw scores were analyzed in general for the whole group it was not sensitive enough to look into individual
responses found in the end tail of the normal distribution curve. Another reason is that each of the questionnaires
measures different aspects of community integration, although the results were not statistically significant for the
respondents as a whole group it does not mean that they do not influence successful community integration as
evidenced by the contradicting results from both the qualitative part of the study as well as what is stated in the
literature during the 1st phase. As explained in the methodology, the researcher ensured the proper administration of
the questionnaires to the respondents so it is safe to rule out this factor in explaining the results.
The relationship of the different psychological variables stigma, resilience, quality of life and treatment belief with each other when grouped according to the demographic profile
The raw scores that were previously analyzed to look into significant relationship that exist between the
Passing from Freedom to Happiness • 673
| Oral Presentation |
variables were stratified into the different demographic profile and was again statistically investigated. The results were
presented in the following tables:
TABLE 17. FEMALE GENDER AND:
There is a significant relationship between quality of life and stigma if grouped according to gender. The
female CICL showed a high quality of life that is correlated with high impact of stigma. The quality of life scale is
actually subdivided into different domains namely: physical, psychological, social and environmental, which could
explain why the perceived quality of life is still high despite the high impact of stigma. They may have very high
scores on one domain that pulls up the general scores even though they scored low on other domains expected like
environmental and physical. Moreover, the questionnaires were administered to respondents within the institutions
which may still not actually experience the stigma, their responses just reflects an anticipatory mindset that when they
go out to the community there is high probability that other people will not understand their situation while quality of
life is rated within the same time frame when they are surrounded with friends within the institutions and sheltered
from the harsh judgment of the society.
TABLE 18. FEMALE GENDER AND:
There is a significant relationship between stigma and resiliency when grouped according to age. Eighteen
year old among the other age groups were the only cluster that showed a significant relationship between the variables
this is probably because of the general perception that this age is the actual age when adolescent make a transition to
adulthood. Furthermore with the respondents showing a high resilience score, this explains why they are able to cope
up despite the impact of stigma that they can perceive.
Several variables were correlated to each other when stratified according the demographic profile of children
in conflict with the law. The full list of variables can be seen in Appendix.
674 • The 20th Asian Conference on Intellectual Disabilities
| Oral Presentation |
The list of variables that predicts the psychological readiness for community integration of children in conflict with the law
The researcher intended to utilized univariate, multivariate analysis and logistic regression however, insufficient
data were gathered as there is a need to administer questionnaires to community dwelling CICL to compare results of
their responses to that of the scores of institutionalized CICL. Instead, the researcher changed her statistical analysis by
using Pearson’s correlation coefficient to determine the existing relationship between variables included in the study as
well as to know what kind of relationship exist among them. The study analyzed the variables in two ways one, on raw
scores from the questionnaires compared to the demographic profile in general, and second, when stratified according
to the demographic profile. The table below will present variables that are significantly correlated with each other when
analyzed in both ways previously explained:
Passing from Freedom to Happiness • 675
| Oral Presentation |
The perceived experience of community dwelling children in conflict with the law in terms of their actual psychological readiness for community integration
SOCIAL VARIABLES
A study by Kupersmidt and Dodge (2004) postulated two extreme hypotheses on the role of peers in
the development of aggressive and antisocial behavior. First, being with deviant friends was a pathway leading to
delinquent behavior. In short, the influence of friends is the cause which leads them to engage in act violating the law.
On the other end, engaging into delinquent behavior promotes friendship development among adolescence.
In the current study, peer influence was identified by the participants as one of the barriers that hinder them to re-
integrate successfully in the community:
“Matino po yun e napasama lang sa barkada kaya naging tarantado na rin”
“Kasi ano e, kung gusto nila makapagbago pilitin nila para makapagbago sila para kung ayaw na
nila mapasok sa ganun iwasan na nila ang barkada, drugs, iwasan na nila para makapagbago na sila”
“Kasi yung mga kabarkada niya, yung iba adik.”
“Kumbaga kapag may kaaway sila… tulong, tulong, tulong. Kahit na nakukulong nako. Kahit na
napupunta nako sa iba’t-ibang barangay. Ganun?”
“Ano lang po buyo ng barkada.”
Another factor, aside from peer influences, was substance abuse. Stanhope and Lancaster (2006) define it as the use
of any substance that threatens a person’s health or impairs his/her social or economic functioning.
The third variable cited in the literature and stated by the participants themselves is the importance of family,
which is considered as the most crucial aspect of a child’s social development.
“Kasi ano e, kung gusto nila makapagbago pilitin nila para makapagbago sila para kung ayaw na nila
mapasok sa ganun iwasan na nila ang barkada, drugs, iwasan na nila para makapagbago na sila”
The participants in the current study also stated the importance of family in their experiences of being
reintegrated back to the community after committing an offense against the law.
“Rebelde po kasi ako.”
“Kalakasan? Pamilya”
“Opo saka magsama-sama kaming magkakapatid ayaw nap o naming maghiwalay e. Para po
masaya kasi bata pa po ako hindi ko po nakita ang mukha ng tatay ko e”
“Yun suporta nila, hindi po nila ako kayang pabayaan noon nakakulong po ako s i l a d in po ang
dumadalaw sa akin”
676 • The 20th Asian Conference on Intellectual Disabilities
| Oral Presentation |
COMMUNITY VARIABLES
Exposure of children to communities with high level of violence produced detrimental effects on the child who resort
either through aggression or fear of engaging with the community. They lose their sense of trust in themselves and in
the people around them. This will lead them to the development of delinquent behavior in the child, which will make
them engage into activities that put them in conflict with the law. Sometimes, the situations inside the institutions do
not promote readiness for the children to reintegrate back to the community.
“E ano e, magulo palagi, nakaka-riot e“
“Lalo na sa hirap ng buhay ngayon, lalo na pag pumasok ka pa sa loob. Bugbog sarado ka na, hinde pa sapat yung
kinakain mo. Magkakasakit ka pa. Tapos kung anu-ano pa yung mararanasan mo sa loob. Na di mo naman dating
naranasan dito sa labas. O kaya, yung naranasan mo sa loob, di naman nagawa syo ng magulang mo eh.”
Another important community variable is the effect of stigma on the children in conflict with the law. When the
participants were asked about their experiences right after they got back to the community, these were their responses:
“Saka yung pag nag-a-apply sila, di sila natatanggap.”
“Kasi ho, baka may kaso ho. Ayaw may kaso tapos hindi ho malinis kasi may mga
tattoo-tattoo dito.”
One specific participant responded when asked about his own viewpoint on how others in the community will react:
“S: Iniisip mo yun? Ano yung ini-expect mong magiging reaksyon nila tungkol sayo?
B: Na masama ako.
S: A-humm...
B: Kasi nakulong ako.”
One participant directly experienced being left by friends and rejection after getting out of jail:
“Kasi, yung pinagsabihan po siya ng tito nya. Parang Pinagsabihan po,na... Kasi nung di pa ko nakukulong, lagi kong
kasama yun eh- Lalabas kami, bibili kami ng pagkain. Siguro po nung paglabas ko, makalipas ng 2 araw, di na ho
nagsasasama sa akin. Sabi niya, pinagsabihan daw siya ng tito niya. Na huwag daw, huwag daw siyang sasama sa
akin.”
PERSONAL VARIABLES
These variables were considered personal since they are reflective of how the individual copes up with the different
social and community variables previously mentioned. One of the variables examined under the demographic profile
of the children in conflict with the law in the current study includes the educational attainment of the child. The
results showed that most of them reach 1st and 2nd year high school, or at least graduate from elementary. Another
important variable to look at is the socioeconomic status of these children in conflict with the law. Most of them
came from families living below the poverty line. A study in Davao City done by Templa (2004) revealed reasons for
committing an offense based from the interview of children in conflict with the law and mostly it included reasons
such as to earn a living, being neglected and abused by parents, and being caught up in the world of crime. Other
children cited having to other choice, for the mere experience of adventure, getting even with other people, and many
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of the respondents cited that they are naturally hard-headed. The nature of offense was high on the category of crime
against property which only supported the claims that children in conflict with the law were in part victims of their own
circumstances to try to earn a living and get their basic needs. Amidst the uncontrollable circumstances presented that
is hard to address like poverty, parental conflict, as well as enormous problems in Filipino culture that are impossible
to change, if the child develops resiliency then achieving readiness for community integration will still be possible. The
participants of this current study maintains a hopeful and healthy way coping as seen in their responses when asked
if there is a chance to change and become functional members of the society which is the essence of community
integration:
“Nasa sa tao talaga yun, kung gusto nila magbago puwede naman magdasal e para magbago”
“Kasi ano e, kung gusto nila makapagbago pilitin nila para makapagbago sila para kung ayaw na nila mapasok sa
ganun iwasan na nila ang barkada, drugs, iwasan na nila para makapagbago na sila”
Summary of findings:
The study was able to identify predictors of psychological readiness for community integration of children in conflict
with the law in Metro Manila, and the key findings were categorized into personal factors that were internal to the
child in conflict with the law, as well as social and community variables, which were external to the child. Among the
variables identified through the literature and the focused group discussion done with mental health professionals, the
researcher examined the demographic profile of children in conflict with the law, their degree of resiliency, the impact
of stigma, perceptions on intervention being received as well as the overall quality of life.
1. There were more male than female respondents.
2. The mean age is 17 years old, with the age ranging from 14 to 22 years old
3. Most children were able to reach 1st year and 2nd year high school or at least were able to graduate
elementary, while only a few reach the collegiate level.
4. Most children in conflict with the law came from dysfunctional family
5. Parents occupation revealed that most of the children in conflict with the law came from families with income
that is insufficient to meet the needs of the whole family
6. Majority of the crime committed by the children in conflict with the law were categorized as crime against
property including theft and robbery, and this was followed by crime against a person such as murder, homicide,
rape and physical injury, while crime against drugs and ordinances were also recorded.
7. Majority of CICL were first time offenders, only a few CICL were multiple offenders.
8. The range of the length of stay is as short as few days or less than a month and extends up to 73 months of
being placed in the institution with an average length of stay of 15 months and with the majority being admitted
in less than a year
9. Significant relationship exists between age and resilience, gender and resilience, quality of life and nature of
offense, family dynamics and quality of life.
10. Several significant relationship among variable existed when the respondents were grouped according to their
demographic data
Conclusions
678 • The 20th Asian Conference on Intellectual Disabilities
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From the findings, the following conclusions are drawn:
1. The first null hypothesis that there is no significant relationship among the variables, treatment belief, quality of
life, stigma and resilience was accepted since based from the results, only a few significant relationship were
seen in the study.
2. The second null hypothesis states that there is no significant relationship between stigma, resilience, treatment
belief and quality of life when it is grouped according to demographic profile
3. Three variable groups were identified to predict psychological readiness for community integration of children
in conflict with the law in Metro Manila namely: Personal variables, Social Variables, and Community Variables.
4. Age, Gender, Nature of Offense, Family Dynamics have the most level of significant relationship to quality of life.
5. The other questionnaires namely the resilience scale, impact of stigma and perception on treatment being
received were not significantly related to each other.
6. The psychological readiness for community integration is not affected by demographic variables such as length
of stay, and socioeconomic status.
Recommendations:
1. It is highly recommended that a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative part be used in studies requiring
both an in-depth analysis and a breadth to generalize the results of the study. Triangulation is also another factor
that is important to reach a good set of data.
2. In order to improve the psychological readiness of these children whether in terms of assessment or service
delivery, it is recommended that there will be a strong collaboration between the primary and secondary
stakeholders including the child, family and mental health professionals to address the multidimensional and
multi-factorial construct of community integration.
3. Primarily the results of the study should be utilized to construct an assessment tool that will determine the
readiness of the child to be reintegrated back to the community after committing a crime and serving the
sentence.
4. The results can also be used to improve the body of knowledge available on children in conflict with the law in
the viewpoint of a clinical psychologist who were among the professionals at the forefront responsible in
addressing the issue of psychological readiness for community integration.
5. There was a limited number of clinical psychologists working with children in conflict with the law; it is
encouraged that they continually engage with children and families including communities and social
institutions to gather more insights on how to deliver maximum benefit to the stakeholders they are working
with. It should include and encourage clinical psychologists to listen to the perspectives of children because they
are valuable in providing direction to the difficulties they encounter during transition from institution to
community re-integration.
6. In line with this, aside from merely using the court orders of serving the sentence upon the gravity of the crime
committed, the in-house psychologists should also present and contribute valuable information to the family
court to recommend other exit options for these children, in order to ensure that they are truly ready in terms to
face the challenges of reintegrating back to the community.
7. Furthermore, institutions should develop or at least improve on existing discharge planning and transition
programs to address individual needs, improve social skills and empower the children so that when they go out
into the community it is less likely that they will fall into the same circumstances that placed them behind bars.
8. It is recommended that further research be conducted into developing an assessment tool that will predict
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| Oral Presentation |
the psychological readiness for community integration based from the findings of this study, develop or enhance
program for children in conflict with the law with consideration on the variables included in this study.
9. It is recommended that next researchers examine the community dwelling CICL using the same set of
questionnaires for those who are institutionalized and vice-versa a structured interview to the institutionalized
CICL.