‘Tear down your institutions’. Empirical and evolutionary perspectives on institutional care in SOS Children’s Villages

Abstract

Typical large-group institutions for abandoned children or orphans are bad for the development of children. A central question whether small-group care in institutional settings is the exception and does provide good-enough care? SOS Children’s Villages use small group housing and try to mimic a family-like child-rearing environment. In a narrative and quantitative synthesis, the scientific evidence on the associations between growing up in SOS villages and child development in various domains is reviewed. Searches in Web of Sciences, PubMed and Google Scholar yielded 8 eligible empirical studies on N = 1,567 children (including 894 SOS children). Random effects meta-analyses were conducted on physical growth and mental health comparing SOS children with children growing up in typical institutions and in families. Results showed substantial developmental delays of SOS children compared with their peers in families. Compared to children in typical institutions SOS children do better on mental health but worse on physical growth.

Authors 2

1. Marinus H. van IJzendoorn corresponding Aachen Leiden Consortium on Individual Development

   Leiden University · University College London · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Amsterdam Public Health · Erasmus University Rotterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, and Amsterdam Public Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;

   Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

   Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University and VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands

   Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL, UK

2. Marian J. Bakermans‐Kranenburg Aachen Leiden Consortium on Individual Development

   Leiden University · University College London · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Amsterdam Public Health · Erasmus University Rotterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, and Amsterdam Public Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;

   Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

   Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University and VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands

   Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL, UK