The Orphans of Eritrea: A Five-year Follow-up Study

Abstract

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.

Do Social Support, Self-efficacy and Resilience Influence the Experience of Stress in Ghanaian Orphans? An Exploratory Study

“…The frequency results for depression and anxiety for the orphaned children pointed to the heightened emotional vulnerability, which has been highlighted in previous research (notably , Fawzy & Fouad, 1999;Wolff & Fesseha, 1999).…”

Caring for orphans and vulnerable children in a context of poverty and cultural Transition: A case study of a group foster homes program in Burkina Faso

“…McKenzie (1997) found that some orphanage alumni experienced positive outcomes on socioeconomic status compared to the general population, suggesting that institutionalization is not always negative. Wolff and Fesseha (1999) have shown that an institutional setting that encourages close personal ties with caregivers reduced the more serious psychological disorders of Eritrean war orphans.…”

Psychiatric Morbidity among a Sample of Orphanage Children in Cairo

“…Orphans in group homes or institutions take more risks, have more threats to achievement, and have poorer peer influences [2]. Almost no systematic studies have been carried out during the past five decades about orphanages largely because nearly all orphanages in industrial nations have been replaced by adoption and foster care [3]. This solution, in Third World Countries, is unacceptable either religiously in some countries as Egypt, or has been considered an unrealistic solution in other countries as in Africa [3].…”