A group of 4-7-year-old war orphans were examined for the first time while living in an institution (the Solomuna Orphanage) during a protracted war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. At that time, they were compared to a group of refugee children living in a nearby camp with one or both parents. The orphans exhibited significantly more behavioral symptoms than the refugee children, but performed the cognitive tests at a more advanced level. Five years later, the orphans were re-examined; and they were compared to unaccompanied 9-12-year-children living in one of two residential settings that differed qualitatively in their social climate, principles of child care, and patterns of staff-child interactions. Although the severity of their behavioral symptoms had diminished, the orphans still exhibited many symptoms of emotional distress. On the other hand, they performed the cognitive measures as well as, or better than, unaccompanied children who had been protected from the terrors of war. The cross-sectional comparisons indicated that a residential setting that respects the individuality of children and promotes their close personal ties with at least one staff member can ameliorate many of the more serious psychological sequelae of having lost both parents and being exposed to the physical dangers of the war. The implications for war orphans in other Third World countries are discussed.

When orphanages are the only means of survival for war orphans, a group setting where the staff shares in the responsibilities of child management, is sensitive to the individuality of the children, and establishes stable personal ties with the children serves the emotional needs and psychological development of the orphans more effectively than a group setting that attempts to create a secure environment through an authoritative style of management with explicit rules and well-defined schedules.

The authors examined the emotional well-being, adaptability, and emotional distress of 10-13 year-old Eritrean war orphans cared for in 3 different social environments and 1 group of home-reared children using 2 scales of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children and informal interviews with the children. Orphans reunified with extended families had greater adaptive skills than institutional orphans but as many signs and symptoms of emotional distress as orphanage children. Group-home orphans had fewer signs and symptoms of emotional distress and greater adaptive skills than either reunified or institutional orphans, and they had fewer symptoms of emotional distress than home-reared children. However, placing orphans in small group homes was far more expensive than reunifying them with extended families. The public policy implications of the findings for the protection of unaccompanied children in impoverished developing countries are discussed.

A group of 4-7-year-old war orphans were examined for the first time while living in an institution (the Solomuna Orphanage) during a protracted war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. At that time, they were compared to a group of refugee children living in a nearby camp with one or both parents. The orphans exhibited significantly more behavioral symptoms than the refugee children, but performed the cognitive tests at a more advanced level. Five years later, the orphans were re-examined; and they were compared to unaccompanied 9-12-year-children living in one of two residential settings that differed qualitatively in their social climate, principles of child care, and patterns of staff-child interactions. Although the severity of their behavioral symptoms had diminished, the orphans still exhibited many symptoms of emotional distress. On the other hand, they performed the cognitive measures as well as, or better than, unaccompanied children who had been protected from the terrors of war. The cross-sectional comparisons indicated that a residential setting that respects the individuality of children and promotes their close personal ties with at least one staff member can ameliorate many of the more serious psychological sequelae of having lost both parents and being exposed to the physical dangers of the war. The implications for war orphans in other Third World countries are discussed.