A profile of psychological maladjustment among school children in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study examined the profile of psychological maladjustment among 12-year-old Sinhala speaking children in the Colombo district of Sri Lanka. The children (N=1226) were selected from government schools in the Colombo district, using a stratified random sampling technique. The Personality Assessment Questionnaire, a self-administered instrument shown to have good psychometric properties, was adapted and validated to the Sri Lankan context and was then used in the study survey. Nearly half of the children in the study were psychologically maladjusted. Among the seven personality dimensions in the instrument that assessed psychological maladjustment, a majority of children had a deficit in the personality dimensions of independence and emotional stability. The paper discusses the possible reasons for these findings.