Institutionalisation

Question 1

what was orphan studies used to study

Answer 1

The effects of deprivation on intellectual and emotional development

Question 2

what happened in Romania under President Nicolai Ceaușescu? What did it lead to?

Answer 2

Former President required all Romanian women to have five children.
Many parents were unable to afford this and as such gave their children to huge orphanages in poor conditions, and post 1989, many children were adopted

Question 3

what is institutionalisation

Answer 3

a term for the effect of living in an institutional setting, and an institution is a place like a hospital or an orphanage where people live for long periods.

Question 4

what was Rutter’s procedure and findings

Answer 4

Followed a group of 165 Romanian orphans as part of the English and Romanian after-adoptee study. Orphan adopted by British family, ERA aims to investigate the extent to which good care could make up for poor early experiences in institutions. Physical, cognitive and emotional development assessed at age 4, 6, 11, 15, 22-25. A control group of 52 kids was adopted from the UK.

When first in the UK showed signs of delayed intellectual development and were malnourished. At 11, they showed different rates of recovery related to the age of adoption. Mean IQ of those adopted before 6 months was 102, compared to 86 between 6 and 2y years and 77 for those after 2; these remained until 16. ADHD is more common in 15 and 22-25y samples.
With attachment, there was a difference if adoption was before or after the months. after showed signs of DISINHIBITED ATTACHMENT(attention seeking, clingy, indiscriminate social behaviour at adults who were familiar and unfamiliarBeforee= no symptom of DA

Question 4

what was Zeanah’s procedure and findings

Answer 4

Conduct the Bucharest early intervention (BEI) project to assess attachment in 95 Romanian kids aged 12-31 months who spent most of their lives in care. cop to control of 50 kids never in an institution, attachment type measured via the strange situation and carers were asked about unusual social behaviour(clingy, attention seeking,g etc)
found 74% of control were securely attached, but only 19% institutions were; the description of DA applied to 44% and less than 20% of control

Question 5

limitation of institutionalisation studies (lack of adult data)

Answer 5

P. There is a current lack of adult data
E. The latest data from ERA looked at kids early to mid-20s. we don’t have answers to questions regarding long term effects(like mental health, mainationg relationships) it will take long time to gather this datav
E. It will be some time before we know completely what the LT effects are.

Question 6

what are the effects of institutionalisation? what do they mean?

Answer 6

DISINHIBITED ATTACHMENT=
equally friendly to familiar and unfamiliar people, which is unusual as kids at 2y often show stranger anxiety. Rutter-da is an adaptation to living with multiple caregivers during the sensitive attachment period. In poor quality institutes, kids can have up to 50 careers, sothey can’t form a secure attachment

INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY=
Rutter’s study- most kids showed signs of intellectual disability when arriving in the UK, most adopted before 6m caught up with controls by 4y, but damage to intellectual development can be recovered if adopted before 6m.

Question 7

strength of institutionalisation studies (rwa)

Answer 7

p. Application to improve conditions for those kids growing up out of family
E. improved psych understanding of ethe ffects of early institutional care and how to preventthe worst effects leading to improvement in the conditions of looked after kids
E. kids in institutions have a chance to develop normal attachments, and da is avoided

Question 7

Strength of institutionalisation studies (confounding variables)

Answer 7

P. Romanian studies lacked confounding variables
E. other studies of institutionalisation on attachment before remaining ones were available have different things happen- varying traumas, so its hard disentangling effects of neglect, abuse, bereavement of those in care, however ,those in Romania came from loving parents
E. results are less likely to be confounded by other negative early experiences

Question 8

limitation of institutionalisation studies(socially sensitive)

Answer 8

p. The research is socially sensitive
E. results show late adoptees have poorer development, so this kid will have lower expectations put onto them, possibly resulting in an SFP
These studies could be catastrophic to these kids’ development and achievement growing up