The Impact of Infant Institutionalization

In the late 1950s many children of unmarried or underage mothers and children from migrant workers’ families in Switzerland were placed in institutions, usually directly after birth. The following publications discuss the data from the study on infant institutionalization and the effects of early deprivation on infants 60 years later.

This first publication revisits the historic data and its impact on early childhood development:

This second publication looks at the effect of institutional placement on cognitive functioning 60 years later:

 

The study protocol:

Ethical framework:

Inclusion of survivors in the study preparation: