Family Contact as a Catalyst for Life Skills Development Among Institutionalized Adolescents: Evidence from Indian Shelter Homes

Background: Life skills development is crucial for adolescents residing in shelter homes, yet the influence of family contact on these competencies remains underexplored in the Indian context. Adolescents in shelter homes face unique challenges due to varied reasons for placement including being orphaned, rescued from abuse or abandonment, transferred from other institutions, or being at risk of child labor.  Objective: This study examined the relationship between family contact and life skills development among adolescents aged 12- 17 years residing in shelter homes in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.  Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 120 adolescents (60 boys, 60 girls) selected from four shelter homes using multi-stage sampling. The Comprehensive Inventory for Life-Skills in Adolescents (CILSA) scale was developed and administered to assess ten life skills domains. Independent t-tests were performed to compare life skills between adolescents with and without family contact.  Results: Of the 120 participants, 69 (57.5%) maintained family contact while 51 (42.5%) had no family contact. Adolescents with family contact demonstrated significantly higher scores across nine of ten life skills domains: self-awareness (10.04±1.5 vs 8.22±2.92, p<.001), empathy (8.91±2.25 vs 7.75±2.00, p=.004), critical thinking (11.52±2.18 vs 10.41±3.34, p=.030), creative thinking (11.75±2.60 vs 9.63±3.53, p<.001), emotion management (11.39±2.78 vs 10.06±3.53, p=.022), stress coping (12.68±2.40 vs 10.71±3.70, p=.001), communication (11.62±2.49 vs 9.55±2.26, p<.001), interpersonal skills (9.55±2.26 vs 7.29±2.72, p<.001), and problem-solving (9.86±1.70 vs 8.43±2.41, p<.001). Total life skills scores were significantly higher among those with family contact (106.57±16.22 vs 90.24±25.08, p<.001).  Conclusions: Family contact significantly enhances life skills development across multiple domains among shelter home adolescents. These findings underscore the importance of facilitating safe family connections to promote optimal developmental outcomes in institutional care settings, while being sensitive to the complex circumstances that bring adolescents into care.