Well-being institutionalized children: |a comparative study on parental deprivation

Abstract

This causal-comparative research examined the effects of early parental deprivation on emotional and behavioral problems, peer relations, self-concept, and school achievement of institutionalized children. Participants of this study were 71 (34 female, 37 male) children fiom institutions, and 71 (35 female, 36 male) children from intact families. They were elementary school students fiom grades third to fifth. As negative indicators of well-being emotional and behavioral problems were measured by externalizing, internalizing, and total problem scores of the Teacher's Report Form (TRF) and aggressiveldisruptive and sensitivelisolated scores of the Revised Class Play (RCP-T). Sociabilitylleadership scores of the RCP-T, selfconcept scores obtained fiom the Piers-Harris Children's Self-concept Scale (WIFAM), adaptive functioning ratings of the TRF and standardized cumulative grade point averages as well as academic performance ratings of the TRF were the positive indicators of well-being. A structured interview was developed to obtain demographic information about children and their families. Two-way analysis of variance was used to examine effects of parental deprivation and gender. Results indicated that children who live in institutions had lower school achievement and adaptive functioning, but higher self-concept, externalizing, and sensitivelisolated problems in comparison to their peers fiom intact families. There were no differences in sociabilitylleadership, aggressionfdisruption and internalizing problems between the two groups. Finally, there was no differential effect of parental deprivation due to gender. However, institutionalized females had higher levels of internalizing problems than institutionalized males. It seemed that the teacher (TRF and GPA) and self assessments (WIFAM) distinguished the institutionalized and intact groups more than the peer (RCP-T) assessments.