The orphans of Eritrea: what are the choices?

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.