- Physical punishment, such as being beaten at school, along with factors like inadequate food and insufficient sleep, can severely impact a child's mental health.
- These negative experiences can contribute to various mental health challenges in children.
Dr. Janet Nakigudde, a mental health specialist at Makerere University College of Health Sciences in the Department of Psychology, has highlighted the increasing prevalence of mental disorders among young children.
According to Dr. Nakigudde, a Behavioral Science Lecturer and Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry in the College, excessive mistreatment and poor handling of children both at school and home are significant contributors to this rise in mental health issues.
She emphasized that physical punishment, such as being beaten at school, along with factors like inadequate food and insufficient sleep, can severely impact a child's mental health.
These negative experiences can contribute to various mental health challenges in children.
"You do not develop mental illness out blue, even when you have a positive history of mental illness. The environment has to be conducive for you to develop mental illness. That environment can be in the school, it can be at home, it can be at your workplace, it can be anywhere" said Dr. Nakigudde
Dr. Nakigudde also stressed the importance of teachers being mindful of children's circumstances and understanding their needs before taking disciplinary actions.
In response to these issues, psychiatrists and psychologists, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, have initiated efforts to educate teachers about the factors affecting children's mental health and promote alternative methods of handling them instead of resorting to physical punishment.