Psychosocial profile of institutionalised street children in Alexandria, Egypt: a comparative study with school children.

Objective: The phenomenon of street children in Egypt constitutes a public health concern. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of institutionalised street children in Alexandria, to compare the prevalence of substance abuse and conduct disorder between street children and school children, and to identify predictors of these mental health outcomes among street children.

Methods: Institutionalised street children (n = 102) participated in a cross-sectional comparative study with a matched group of school children (n = 156).