10. Romanian Orphan Studies and Institutionalisation Flashcards
what is meant by institutionalisation
institutionalisation is the effect of institutional care (eg being raised in an orphanage or children’s home).
the term refers to the effects of time spent in an institution on the development of children.
institutionalisation may lead to social, mental and physical underdevelopment and some of these effects may be irreversible.
who did research into Romanian orphans and institutionalisation
Rutter et al (2011)
La Mere et al (2006)
Rutter’s Romanian orphan study: aim
Rutter et al (2011) aimed to test whether good care could make up for poor early experiences in institutions in a longitudinal study of Romanian orphans
Rutter’s Romanian orphan study: procedure
- longitudinal study
- they followed 165 Romanian orphans adopted in Britain
- tested them at regular intervals to assess their physical, cognitive and social development
- a group of 52 British children adopted around the same time served as a control group
- physical, cognitive and emotional development was assessed at ages 4, 6, 11 and 15 years
Rutter’s Romanian orphan study: findings
- when they first arrived in the UK half the adoptees showed signs of mental retardation and the majority were undernourished
- at age 11 the adopted children showed differential rates of recovery that were related to their age of adoption
- the mean IQ of those children adopted before the age of 6 months was 102, between 6 months and 2 years was 86, and after two years was 77
- in terms of attachment, there appeared to be a difference in outcome related to whether adoption took place before or after 6 months.
- children adopted after they were 6 months showed signs of a particular attachment style called disinhibited attachment
- symptoms include attention seeking, clinginess and social behaviour directed indiscriminately towards all adults familiar and unfamiliar
- in contrast those adopted before the age of 6 months rarely displayed disinhibited attachments
Rutter’s Romanian orphan study: conclusion
they concluded that there are severe long-term effects of institutionalisation but these effects can be avoided if the child is able to form an attachment before 6 months
La Mere’s Romanian orphan study
La Mere et al (2006) conducted a longitudinal study of 36 Romanian orphans adopted to families in Canada, focusing on their physical growth and health.
They found that the adopted orphans were physically smaller than the control group at age four and a half years, but this difference has disappeared by ten and a half years. The same was found for physical health.
They concluded that recovery is possible from the effects of institutionalisation on physical development.
Evaluation of Romanian Orphan Studies: Strengths
P: practical applications
E: improved the way children are cared for in institutions
E: eg, orphanages and children’s homes now avoid having large numbers of caregivers for each child and instead ensure that only one or two key workers play a central role
L: immensely valuable in improving children’s lives in the real world
P: support from Zeanah et al (2005)
E: found that Romanian children who spent 90% of their lives in an institution showed signs of disinhibited attachment by the age of 1-2 and a half years
L: supports Rutters conclusion that early institutional care can have severe effects such as disinhibited attachment
P: praised for studying the long term effects
E: conducted a longitudinal study which followed the children’s lives over many years, so the results can reflect the long term effects
E: eg, Rutter assessed the children at 11 and 16 to measure the intellectual and emotional effects of institutional care over time
L: helped further our understanding of how early institutional care effects ongoing development
E: however, it is still unclear whether these effects are permanent because research did not follow up on the children past the age of 16
Evaluation of Romanian Orphan Studies: Limitations
P: lack control over the conditions experienced in the orphanages in Romania
E: studies all measured the age at which the children were adopted and their development in later life but this doesn’t account for the different levels of care different children might have experienced before adoption
E: eg, Rutter has suggested some children may have received special attention in the institution, perhaps because they smiled more, and this would mean they did have some early attachment experiences
L: may have played a part in their later development and means the research may lack internal validity
P: criticised for attrition
E: longitudinal study, so some people are likely to drop out, resulting in a reduction in the sample at each assessment
E: eg, in both Rutter and La Meres research it may be that the more troubled children drop out and the effects of institutionalisation on those children would not have been observed
L: results in a biased sample bc those that drop out are likely to be a particular type of person
