Kurum bakımındaki çocukların yetkinliklerindeki gelişimsel değişimin ailesiyle yaşayan yaşıtları ile kıyaslanması

Adverse effects of institutional care on child outcomes have been shown by multiple studies comparing institution-reared and parent-reared children. The current study adds to the extant literature by examining whether the developmental change within one year in social (social competence, aggressive behavior, and social withdrawal), cognitive (theory of mind, executive function), and language domains differs with respect to rearing context. Data were collected from 73 institution-reared children, 51 parent-reared children with low to middle-educated mothers, and 75 parent-reared children with high-educated mothers at two time points, one year apart. At Time 1 and Time 2, theory of mind, executive function, and language skills were measured via individual assessments, while social competence, aggressive behavior, and social withdrawal were measured via caregiver/mother reports. ANCOVAs, controlling for age and sex, indicated that institution-reared group displayed significantly lower performance on theory of mind and executive function tasks than both parent-reared groups at two time points. Also, they had significantly lower level of social competence and language than two parent-reared groups. Hierarchical regression analyses with the difference score as the outcome variable revealed that institutional care predicted poorer developmental change within one year in social competence and language skills, controlling for age and sex. The difference between parent-reared group with high-educated mothers and institution-reared group was higher than the difference between parent-reared group with low to middle-educated mothers and institution-reared group for the developmental change in language. This study discloses the differences in social and cognitive developmental change in children under typical and atypical rearing contexts.