Romanian Orphans

Question 1

What is institutionalization

Answer 1

Refers to children spending long period of time outside of the family home within an institution for example an orphanage. This can result in a loss of personal identity and the child adopting the rules and norms of the institution that can impair cognitive functioning

Question 2

Effects of institutionalization

Answer 2

• reactive attachment disorder
• disinhibited attachment
• cognitive impairment

Question 3

Reactive attachment disorder

Answer 3

An extreme lack of sensitive responsiveness from a parent in early life that can lead to a child growing up unable to trust or love others. They become isolated and very selfish and unable to understand the need of others can become sociopathic without a conscience they can have lack of remorse

Question 4

Disinhibited attachment

Answer 4

A condition in which children select attachment figures indiscriminately and behave in an overly familiar fashion with complete strangers for example being friendly and affectionate. This is unusual behavior as usually young children would show signs of stranger anxiety

Question 5

Cognitive impairment

Answer 5

It’s a delay in intellectual development an individual would have low IQ and problems with concentration moreover they may have difficulty in learning new concepts and behaviors

Question 6

Aim

Answer 6

To investigate whether living and nurturing care could overturn the effects of institutionalization the children had suffered in Romanian orphanages

Question 7

Procedure

Answer 7

Longitudinal study which began in 1998. Physical emotional and cognitive development were assessed at ages of 4,6,11 and 15

The age adoption being naturally occurring independent variable and the dependent variable was the children’s development

Question 8

Sample

Answer 8

111 Romanian orphans who were adopted in British families

Question 9

Rutter studies 3 groups

Answer 9

1) adopted before the age of 6 months
2) adopted between 6 months and 2 years
3) adopted after the age of two (late adoptees)

The Romanian orphans were compared to a control group of 52 British adopted children

Question 10

Findings

Answer 10

• at the initial assessment 50% of the Romanian children showed signs of cognitive impairment and were severely undernourished
• by the age of 4 the children were making very good recoveries however those adopted later had much higher level of disinhibited attachment on the other hand orphans adopted before 6 months were doing as well as the British adopted children
• at the age of 11 the mean IQ for those adopted later than those adopted earlier showing cognitive impairment those adopted before the age of 6 months had a normal IQ level

Question 11

Conclusion

Answer 11

Some negative effects of institutionalization can be overcome by sensitive nurturing care more so if the adoption takes place earlier

Question 12

Further research
Can be AO1 or AO3 (research to support)

Answer 12

Zeenah et al

Question 13

Zeenah et al 2005

Answer 13

Compared 95 Romanian orphans ages between 12-31 months who had on average spent 90% of their lives living in institution to a control group of Romanian children who had never been in an institution

Question 14

Procedure

Answer 14

The children’s attachment type was assessed using the strange situation

Question 15

Findings

Answer 15

44% of the institutionalization children showed signs of disinhibited attachment compared to less than 20% of the control group

Question 16

Conclusion

Answer 16

Being in an institutionalization can have negative effects if psychological development

Question 17

AO3

Answer 17

Research into the effects of institutionalization had practical applications this is because the principles of theory that institutionalization has led to psychological problems such as reactive attachment disorder had led to improvements in the conditions experienced by children growing up outside their family homes for example children’s homes now avoid having a large number of caregivers for each child and instead yeh children tend to have one or two key workers who play a central role in the child’s emotional care to reduce the negative effects of institutionalization. Therefore institutionalization research is important part of applied psychology