Separation from Mother at Time of Weaning

Abstract
Weaning is an important factor in the aetiology of protein energy malnutrition (PEM). In the present study it was shown that the psychological aspects of weaning — i.e. separation from the mother — play a more important role in the development of PEM than do physical factors. Of children suffering from PEM, 80.4% were physically separated from the mother at time of weaning, whereas only 32% of a comparable healthy control group had undergone the trauma of separation.