Mothers’ Living Conditions Shape Health and Early Development, While Refugee Experience Has Little Impact

Abstract

Around 200,000 children were born to refugees in Germany between 2014 and 2022. This Weekly Report investigates how the health and development of children born in Germany to refugees are affected by their parent’s experience of being a refugee. An analysis using representative data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) and data from the IAB-BAMFSOEP Survey of Refugees shows that there are no significant differences at birth between the children of refugee mothers and of other mothers in terms of birth weight, birth size, c-section frequency, and nursing behavior. However, there are differences at toddler age: Children of refugees score worse in the domains of language skills, motor skills, and social skills. These differences are largely explained by variations in maternal mental health status, level of education, employment status, and access to institutional childcare. Furthermore, children of refugee and other migrant mothers are more frequently classified as overweight than children of women without a migration background. However, this difference becomes statistically insignificant for children of refugees once factors such as maternal education and employment status are included. The results show that it is not the refugee experience itself but rather the social and structural living conditions of the mothers that influence their children's development. Therefore, investments in education, employment integration, and early childhood care for refugee families are important starting points for ensuring their social participation and equal opportunity in health.