Romanian orphan studies Flashcards
(9 cards)
Institutionalisation
-Instituationalisation is when children are cared for by the state (e.g placed into institutions such as children’s homes)
-As institutions cannot provide the child with the same level of physical and emotional care as families, institutionalisation will have negative effects on the child’s development
Deprivation vs privation
-Deprivation, as defined by Bowlby is not receiving suitable emotional or physical care from their primary attachment figure; this can happen through frequent absences of long periods of separation
-However, privation is the complete lack of care, there is no ability of form an attachment with a caregiver
Institutional privation in Romania 1990s
-After the fall of the Romanian government in 1990, it was discovered that there was an estimate 170,000 abandoned children living in privation in orphanages
-These orphanages did not provide the children with physical and emotional care, and many children were malnourished and abused
-Many of these children were then adopted into loving Western families; the variation in ages of adoption allowed researchers to conduct a natural experiment (Rutter (1998-2011))
Rutters (1998-2011) procedure
Rutter conducted a longitudinal study on 165 romanian orphans being adopted into British families
-He grouped the Romanian children based on age of adoption: Adopted while under six months, between 6 months and two years or after two years
-He compared the results to a group of British adoptees who had not experienced privation; they were assessed at ages 6,4,11 and 15
Rutters (1998-2011) findings
-At age 6: children that were adopted while over the age of 6 months showed signs of disinhibited attachment; being overly friendly to strangers. This was more common in those adopted after 2 years
-At age 11: half of the children who showed signs of disinhibited attachment at age 6 continue to display these behaviours
-Additionally, children adopted while over 6 months showed significant delay in physical, emotional and intellectual abilities
-For example: Children adopted after the age of 2 years had an average IQ score of 77, compared to those adopted before the age of 6 months with an average IQ score of 102
-Some children that had been adopted later also showed signs of quasi-autism; not understanding social contexts
Rutter (1998-2011) conclusions
-Rutter’s results suggested the importance of early adoption as the age the orphans were adopted were critical for their rate of recovery from the physical, emotional and intellectual effects of privation
-Although the effects of privation are sever and long-lasting, many children, even those who had been adopted after 2 years, showed signs of recovery. This suggests that Bowlby’s critical period, is more of a sensitive period, as it is important, but deficiencies can be improved through later care
Positive evaluation of Rutter and Romanian orphan studies (practical application)
-Research into Romanian orphan studies has real-world practical applications. This research has been used to make new policies around adoption and other institutional settings (e.g orphanages)
-For example; critical workers in institutions provide a higher level of care to infants and there is focus on ensuring an early age of adoption
Negative evaluation of Rutter and other Romanian orphan studies (potential bias as infants not randomly assigned)
-A disadvantage of Rutter’s study and other studies conducted on Romanian orphans is that the infants were not randomly assigned to adoptive families and were instead handpicked by the parents in Romania.
-This could lead to bias, as the more sociable babies were more likely to be adopted at a younger age
Supporting evidence for the sensitive period (Hodge and Tizard 1989 study on behavioural and peer interactions in loving families)
-There is supporting evidence for the sensitive period; Hodge and Tizard (1989) found that children who were adopted into new, loving families, coped better in behavioural and peer interactions than children who were returned to their original, abusive families
-This study shows that the adverse effects of institutionalisation can be overcome with adequate substitute care
