Where Do Our Children Go? Understanding the Impact of Institutionalization on Emotion Regulation, Attention, and Sleep.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Emotional regulation and attention are markedly underdeveloped in institutionalized children (IC) relative to non-institutionalized children (NIC). Caregivers in temporary institutional settings tend to exhibit contingency-responsive behaviors with limited affective engagement, which may restrict optimal socio-emotional development. Despite the critical role that sleep routines play in child development, their association with emotional regulation and attention in the context of institutionalization remains insufficiently explored. The present study aimed to assess the impact of institutionalization on emotional regulation, attention, and sleep hygiene in childhood, as well as to investigate whether sleep mediates the relationship between emotional regulation and attention.

METHODS

A total of 110 children aged 7 to 11 years (N = 55 IC; N = 55 NIC) were assessed using the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC), the Cancellation Test (Toulouse-Piéron), and the Children's Chronotype Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Regression analyses and parametric tests revealed significant differences between IC and NIC groups. IC exhibited lower emotional regulation (β = 8.018, < 0.05) and poorer attention (β = 3.818, < 0.05) compared with NIC. Additionally, the MidSleep Point (MSP) was significantly different between groups, with NIC demonstrating shorter sleep periods (β = -1158.545, < 0.05), contrary to expectations.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that prolonged institutionalization impairs socio-emotional development, with downstream effects on cognitive functioning, particularly attention. While differences in sleep routines between IC and NIC were observed, sleep did not appear to directly mediate the relationship between emotional regulation and attention, nor did it present a primary risk factor compared with the broader developmental challenges associated with institutional care.