THE CHANGING SOCIAL PROFILE OF MOTHERS WHOSE CHILDREN ARE ADMITTED INTO INSTITUTIONAL CARE IN GREECE

The study sample consisted of 69 mothers in Greece whose children had been admitted into institutional care at an age of less than 7 years. These mothers were divided into two groups, 32 whose children were age d 2.5-5.5 years and 37 whose children were aged 15.5-17.5 years at the time of study. The mean age of the first group of mothers was 27 year s and the second 42 years. Corresponding control groups consisted of 6 5 mothers, 24 younger and 37 older, in intact families. All the mother s were interviewed using a semistructured interview schedule. Study mo thers of both groups were from a lower social class (occupation, educa tion) than controls, had experienced more adversity in childhood and h ad more health problems. They had left their parental homes and given birth at a younger age and faced more difficulties (financial, housing problems, marital discord and/or divorce). The older group of study m others more often had their children admitted into care because of fin ancial difficulties or illegitimacy, in contrast with the younger moth ers who more often gave the reason of marital breakdown. There were in dications that the same kind of adversity that they had experienced th emselves as children was the main reason for admission of their chidre n into institutional care.