[The lasting scars of early emotional deprivation: A study of the current mental health of former Wochenkrippenkinder (children in day and night nursery care) from East Germany].

Abstract

The care of young children in institutions is typically linked to deprivation, which can negatively impact their psychological development into young adulthood. However, it remains unclear whether early experiences of deprivation also affect psychological well-being in middle and late adulthood. The East German (GDR) weekly nurseries (Wochenkrippen), in which young children and infants were cared for continuously day and night from Monday to Friday, can serve as a testbed for investigating possible long-term psychological consequences of early emotional deprivation.The study examined n=324 former Wochenkrippenkinder (children in weekly nursery care; WK, mean age=55.2 years; 76.9% female) regarding their mental health using self-report questionnaires. In addition, two control groups of former GDR citizens were assessed, a) n=89 participants who experienced day nursery care (TK) and b) n=97 participants who experienced family care only during the first three years of life (FM). A subsample (WK: n=49, TK: n=35, FM: n=44) was examined using a structured clinical interview for mental disorders (Mini-DIPS).The WK group was associated with higher scores across all outcome measures (PHQ-4, CID-S, PSS-10), even after controlling for sociodemographic variables. Regarding the Mini-DIPS, 91.8% of the WK sample met the criteria for at least one diagnosis throughout their lifetime, compared to 60.0% (TK) and 59.1% (FM). Lifetime diagnoses of social anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder were particularly common in the WK sample.Participants who experienced weekly (day and night) nursery care report a markedly higher level of burden concerning various aspects of mental health compared to participants who experienced only day nursery care and participants from exclusive family care. A possible bias due to the self-selection of study participants might limit the generalizability of the results.The results add to the current state of research on the long-lasting detrimental consequences of residential care in early childhood. In the medical history of patients with East German upbringing, special attention should be given to the assessment of possible institutional care in the first years of life.