Mental Illness and the Transition to Adulthood

From IOFA's in-country assessments, we have found that many of the orphaned youth transitioning to adulthood in Ethiopia and Cambodia demonstrate significant vulnerabilities to mental illnesses including trauma disorders. At the link attached below, Social Service Administration Doctoral student at the University of Chicago, Vanessa Vorhies, discusses with WBEZ the transition to adulthood for young people experiencing mental illness. As mentioned in the piece, people ages 18 through 25 are the demographic most likely to experience mental illness of some kind during this significant stage in life. In the United States, the transition to adulthood while facing mental health challenges is difficult. In poorer countries, such as Ethiopia and Cambodia, the challenges are arguably greater. IOFA's Transitions Initiative will include the issue of mental illness in its ongoing research of adolescents aging out of alternative care and include this area in our ongoing assessments in Ethiopia and Cambodia.

http://www.wbez.org/story/tricky-transition-adulthood-93294

IOFA weighs in on orphanages in Cambodia

An article in the Telegraph last week asked the critical question: Is orphanage tourism helpful or a hindrance? IOFA was one of the organizations to weigh in on the issue as it pertains to Cambodia. As we've said in the past, institutionalized care and the inevitable transition out pose risks for youth across the world.

IOFA's mention in the article:

"Research recently conducted by IOFA found that young adults who left orphanages experienced a variety of problems, including damaged or severed family connections, homelessness, exploitation, trafficking and drug abuse. Its findings, IOFA says, challenge the widespread belief that institutional care is better for children from poor families."

View the rest of the article here!