The Psychological Effects in Adulthood of Institutional Living. Report prepared for the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (CICA)

In 2005 and 2006 247 adult survivors of institutional abuse in industrial and reformatory schools recruited through CICA were interviewed. Other witnesses to the Commission who reported institutional abuse in other institutions and out-of-home care settings were not included in this study. There were approximately equal numbers of men and women who were about 60 years of age, and who had entered institutions run by nuns or religious brothers due to family adversity or petty criminality. Participants had spent, on average, about 5 years living with their families before entering institutions and about 10 years living in institutions. More than 90% had experienced institutional physical and emotional child abuse and about half, institutional child sexual abuse. Just over a third of those who had memories of having lived with their families reported family-based child abuse or neglect. All participants had experienced one or more significant life problems with mental health problems, unemployment and substance use being the most common. More than four fifths of participants had an insecure adult attachment style, indicative of having problems making and maintaining satisfying intimate relationships. About four fifths of participants at some point in their life had had a psychological disorder including anxiety, mood, substance use and personality disorders. The overall rates of psychological disorders among survivors of institutional living, for most disorders, were double those found in normal community populations in Europe and North America.