Do Childhood Boarding School Experiences Predict Health, Well-Being and Disability Pension in Adults? A SAMINOR Study

Oddgeir Friborg,Øystein Sørbye,Ketil Lenert Hansen,Cecilie Javo,Berit Schei,Tore Sørlie

doi:10.1177/0022022120962571

Abstract

Indigenous Sámi and Kven minority children in Norway were during the 20th century placed at boarding schools to hasten their adoption of the Norwegian majority language and culture. This is the first population-based study examining health, well-being and disability pension rates among these children. Data stem from two epidemiological studies conducted in 2003/04 (SAMINOR 1) and 2012 (SAMINOR 2) by the Centre for Sami Health Research. The SAMINOR 1 study included N = 13,974 residents (50.1% women, Mage = 52.9 years) and n = 2,125 boarding participants (49.6% women, Mage = 56.2 years). The SAMINOR 2 part included N = 10,512 residents (55.5% women, Mage = 47.6 years) and n = 1246 boarding participants (48.7% women, Mage = 54.1 years). Main outcome measures are mental and general health, well-being and disability pension linearly regressed upon the predictors. We observed minor differences between boarding and non-boarding participants that generally disfavored the former, of which many disappeared after covariate adjustment. Boarding school participants reported more discrimination, violence, unhealthier lifestyle behavior (smoking), less education and household income compared to non-boarding participants. The exceptionally long timeframe between boarding school and the current outcome measures (40–50 years) is a likely reason for the weak associations. The study supports the international literature on health inequalities and highlights the risk of ill health following boarding school placement of indigenous or minority children. On a positive note, participants reporting stronger ethnic belonging (strong Sámi identity) were well protected, and even functioned better in terms of lower disability rates than majority Norwegians.

Highlights

There are numerous accounts in papers and book volumes of how the Sámi and Kven children in Norway experienced the enforced placement in boarding schools during the 20th century (Jensen, 1991; Lund, 2005–2013; Meløy, 1980; Minde, 2005)
The present study examined if participants who participated in two epidemiological studies (SAMINOR 1 and SAMINOR 2) about health and living conditions in Sámi areas, conducted in 2003/04 and 2012 by the Centre for Sami Health Research in Norway, observed any negative effects with regard to mental and general health, well-being and disability pension (DP), on average, 40 years after their boarding school experience
Despite the observation of few or no negative effects of boarding school on mental health and well-being in the adjusted statistical models, the present study showed that boarding school was associated with other negative characteristics: an unhealthier life style, a more unfavorable socio-demographic situation in terms of lower education and less household income, as well as an increased exposure to discrimination and violence

Summary

Introduction

There are numerous accounts in papers and book volumes of how the Sámi and Kven children in Norway experienced the enforced placement in boarding schools during the 20th century (Jensen, 1991; Lund, 2005–2013; Meløy, 1980; Minde, 2005). This school policy, which was put into meticulous action from 1905, required an agonizing geographical relocation of a large number of Sámi children obliged to be taught the majority Norwegian language and culture. As studies have documented that adverse childhood experiences increase the risk of poorer mental health as adults (Merrick et al, 2017), one may expect that these Sámi children did not go through these experiences mentally unscathed

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion