Romanian Orphan studies: effects of institutionalisation Flashcards
what is institutionalisation
it is the term used for the effects of living in an institutional setting
the term institution refers to a place like a hospital or an orphanage where children live for long/ continuous periods of time
In such places, there is often very little emotional care provided
what does institutionalisation have to do with attachment
In attachment research, we are interested in the effects of institutional care on children’s attachment and subsequent development
what are orphan studies
it concerns children who are placed in care because their parents cannot look after them
An orphan is a child whose parents are either dead or have abandoned them permanently
what happened in Romania in 1990 that allowed psychologists to look at the effects of institutional care
The former President of Romania required Romanian women to have five children
Many Romanian parents could not afford to keep their children and they ended up in huge orphanages in very poor countries
After the 1989 revolution many of the children were adopted, some by British parents
what was Rutter’s ERA (English and Romanian Adoptee) study
AIM and PROCEDURES
Micheal Rutter and colleagues (2011) have followed a group of 165 Romanian orphans adopted in Britain to test what extent good car could make up for poor experiences in intuitions
the PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE and EMOTIONAL development has been assessed at ages 4,6,11 and 15 years
A group of 52 British children adopted around the same served as a CONTOL GROUP
what were the findings from Rutter’s ERA study
when they first arrived in the UK half the adoptees showed signs of delayed intellectual development and the majority were severely undernourished
AT AGE 11
- adopted children showed different rates of recovery that were related to the age of adoption
THE MEAN IQ
children adopted BEFORE the age of 6 months was 102
compared with 86 for those adopted between 6 months and 2 years
77 for those adopted after 2 years - this remained at age 16 (Beckett et al 2020)
what were the findings from Rutter’s in terms of attachment
there appeared to be a difference in outcome related to whether adoption took place BEFORE or AFTER 6 months
Those children adopted AFTER 6 months showed signs of a particular attachment style called DISINHIBITED ATTACHMENT
IN CONTRAST
children adopted BEFORE the age of 6 months rarely displayed DISINHIBITED ATTACHMENT
what are the symptoms of the disinhibited attachment
- clinginess
- social behaviour directed indiscriminately towards all adults both familiar and unfamiliar
what is the Bucharest Early intervention project
AIMS and PROCEDURE
Zeanah et al. (2005) assessed attachment as children aged 12 - 13 months who had spent most of their lives in institutional care ( 90% on average)
They were compared to a control group of 500children who had never lived in an institution
Their attachment type was measured using the STRANGE SITUATION
In addition, carers were asked about unusual social behaviour including:
- clinginess
- attention-seeking behaviour directed inappropriately at all adults
what were the findings from the Bucharest Early intervention project
They found that 74% of the control group came out as SECURELY attached in the STRANGE SITUATION
HOWEVER, only 19% of the institutional group65 were securely attached, with 65% being classified with disorganised attachment
The description of DISINHIBITED ATTACHMENT applied to 44% of the institutionalised children as opposed to less than 20% of the controls
what are the effects of institutionalisation
disinhibited attachment
mental retardation
what is disinhibited attachment
it is a typical effect of spending time in an institution
They are equally friendly and affectionate towards people they know well or who are strangers that they have just met
This is highly unusual behaviour
why is disinhibited attachment unusual behaviour
it is an unusual behaviour because most children in the second year show stranger anxiety
what did Rutter say was the reason of disinhibited attachment
Rutter (200^) has explained disinhibited attachment as an adaption to living with multiple caregivers during the sensitive period for attachment formation
In poor quality institutions like those in Romania a child might have 50 carers none of whom they see enough to form a secure attachment
what did most of the children show signs of in Rutter’s study
In Rutter’s study, most children showed signs of mental retardation when they arrived in Britain
However, most of those adopted before they were six months old caught up with those in the control group at age 4
It appears that like emotional development, damage to intellectual development as a result of institutionalization can be recovered provided adoption takes before the age 6 months - age which attachment forms
