The Effects of Beggary on the Mental Health of Beggars
Ali Ahmed Kadhim, Amenah Abd Al-Hassan JaburAbstract
Background:
A person who makes a living by begging others for alms or food is known as a beggar or a cadger.
Objective:
To assess the effects of beggary on the mental health of beggars. To find out the association between the effects of beggary on mental health and the socio-demographic data for beggars.
Materials and Methods:
Using a descriptive-analytical study design, the variables and relationships between the effects of beggary on the mental health of beggars were described. The investigation was conducted between September 5, 2021 and March 31, 2022. A probability sample of a total of 75 beggars who asked for money on the streets of Babylon. All locations where the study sample was collected were from the traffic streets. The instrument is evaluated using a four-level rating scale. This study concentrates on socio-demographic data and psychological effects on the mental health of beggars as independent variables. Beggars were interviewed face-to-face for some of the data after being informed of the study’s goals and relevance and given assurances that their responses would remain confidential. Data collection took place between December 15, 2021 and February 3, 2022, using research tools and was done with the tacit consent of the beggars. Completing the questionnaire will take approximately 20–25 min. The total sum of the data obtained (75) is presented here.
Result:
The result shows the percentage of severe levels of DASS (depression, anxiety, stress) was 34.7%. The result shows a high percentage of severe self-esteem level of 48%. The result shows that 52% of beggar samples had no suicidal ideation, whereas 48% had suicidal ideation.
Conclusion:
Less than half of the samples had suicidal ideation towards beggars. The results demonstrated a highly significant correlation between the psychological effects of beggars and socio-demographic characteristics.