A Study on the Risk Behaviour Among Street-Connected Children in the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Antecedents Factors and Primary Intervention

Abstract

Street life often forced street-connected children to engage in the risk behaviour. A prolonged and persistent exposure to the street environment facilitates this process and affects their development. This study aims to explore the involvement of street-connected children in risky behaviour, influence factors of street-connected children in risky behaviour and suggest interventions to reduce the involvement of street-connected children in risky behaviour. Purposive sampling techniques were employed to collect information from N = 303 street-connected children aged 9 to 17 years. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis have been employed to analyse the data. Findings show that the involvement of street-connected children in risky behaviour was influenced by peers. Meanwhile, parents working status, educational barriers, housing environment, emotional and psychological wellbeing, and life experience with school were not significant factors in their involvement in risky behaviour. The study contributes develop interventions for street-connected children to mitigate their involvement in risky behaviour, as well as to inform social worker and social provider to improve the health behaviour of these children’s. street-connected children, risky behaviour, homeless, children, antisocial, intervention