Effect of maternal deprivation and family surroundings on institutionalized preschool children's development

Abstract EN

Introduction; Institutionalized children experience ineffective nurturing social and environmental conditions resulting in maternal, sensory, cognitive, linguistic, and psychosocial deprivation Objective) Assessing the effect of maternal and family context deprivation on the development of preschool children living in orphanages.

Subjects and Methods: Fifty institutionalized children of both sexes with age ranged (3- 5) years underwent auxological assessment height (Ht), weight (Wt), head circumference (HC), and left mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) and Portage developmental assessment in comparison to 50 home living controls of the same age and sex.

Results: institutionalized children showed statistically significant lower Ht, Wt and HC Z- scores (median (IQR)-0.2 (- 0.89:0.32), - 0.27 (- 0.87: 0.5), 0.4 I (- 0.2: 1.47 respectively) and percentiles and lower developmental quotient (DQ) scores across all developmental (median (IQR) for Social DQs was 92.55 (87.97: 101.4), for language DQs 91.45 (87.5: 97.55), for self-care DQs 89.75 (82.65: 98.4), for cognitive DQs 84.3 (78.1: 94.6) and for motor DQs 97.15 (94.67: 104.7) when compared to home living children’s Ht, Wt and HC Z- scores (median (IQR) 0.51 (0.03:1.1), 0.1 (- 0.28: 0.51), 1.63 (0.45: 2.23 respectively) and percentiles and DQ scores (median (IQR) for Social DQs was 108.2 (105.5: 114.6), for language DQs 103.9(100: 108.4).

for self-care DQs 105(100: 110.1), for cognitive DQs 104(96.9: 108.2) and for motor DQs 110.6(105.2: 115.3), meanwhile; they had statistically significant higher MUAC Z- scores (median (IQR) 0.39 (- 0.31: 1.19) and percentiles compared to home living children (median (IQR)-O.O 2 (-1.2: 0.52).

Conclusion: Institutionalized maternally deprived children have delayed physical growth and development (social, language, self-care, cognitive and motor).