attachment - effects of institutionalisation Flashcards
define institutionalisation
- children spending a long time away from family home within an institution e.g. orphanage (1 MARK)
- results in loss of personal identity and children adopting rules and norms of institution (2 MARRKS)
- impairs cognitive functioning (3 MARKS)
3 effects of institutionalisation
- reactive attachment disorder
- disinhibited attachment
- cognitive impairment
reactive attachment disorder - AO1
2 MARKS
- caused by lack of sensitive responsiveness during early childhood
- results in child growing up unable to love/trust others
(1 MARK) - become isolated, very selfish
- unable to understand others
- sociopathic without conscience
- lacks remorse
(2 MARKS)
disinhibited attachment - AO1
2 MARKS
- when children indiscriminately select attachment figures
- behave in overly familiar fashion to complete strangers e.g. overly affectionate
(1 MARK) - caused by institutionalised care
- children adapt to multiple caregivers in critical period
- can display other behavioural disorders e.g. attention seeking (Zeenah et al)
(2 MARKS)
cognitive impairment - AO1
- cognitive impairment = intellectual delay
(1 MARK) - low IQ and concentration problems (Rutter et al)
- difficulty learning new concepts and behaviours
(2 MARKS)
rutter et al - AO1
aim
to investigate if loving and nurturing care could overturn effects of institutionalisation children suffered in Romanian orphanages
rutter et al - AO1
sample
111 romanian orphans adopted into British families
rutter et al - AO1
procedure
- longitudinal study started in 1998
- assessed physical, emotional and cognitive development in children at ages 4,6,11,15
- age of adoption = naturally occurring IV
- cognitive and emotional development = DV
- rutter studied 3 groups
1) adopted before 6 months
2) adopted between 6 months - 2 years
3) adopted after 2+ years (after critical period) - compared to control group of 52 British adopted children
rutter et al - AO1
findings
- at initial assessment 50% of Romanian children had cognitive impairment and severely undernourished
- by 4 years lots of good recoveries
- late adoptees = higher level of disinhibited attachment
- early adoptees (before 6 months) seen to be doing as well as control group
- by 11 years late adoptees = low IQ
- adopted before 6 months = normal IQ
- shows signs of cognitive impairment
rutter et al - AO1
conclusion
- effects of institutionalisation can be overturned by sensitive, nurturing care
- more so if adoption was earlier
zeanah et al - AO1
procedure
- compared 95 romanian orphans aged 12-31 months who spent 90% lives in institution
- to control group of romanian children who had never been institutionalised
- assessed using strange situation
zeanah et al - AO1
findings
- 44% of institutionalised children showed signs of disinhibited attachment
- compared to less than 20% of control group
zeanah et al - AO1
conclusion
institutionalisation can have negative effects on psychological development
Strength - AO3
practical applications
P - strength
- practical applications
- led to improved conditions surrounding institutions/upbringing of children outside family home
E - e.g. instead of multiple caregivers, children given 1/2 key workers who play central role in childs emotional care
E - institutionalisation = undesireable
- more effort made to foster/adopt
- reduces negative consequences e.g. disinhibited attachments
- children more likely to form bonds with carers if time spent with them
L - important part of applied psych
- improved understanding of effects of institutionalisation
- prevents worst effects
strength - AO3
high control over extraneous variables
P - strength
- high control over extraneous variables
E - previous orphan studies = children previously had trauma/neglected
- difficult to tell if long lasting effects were due to institutionalisation
E - rutters research = previously had loving parents who could not afford to keep them
- so not a confounding variable
L - increases internal validity of rutters research
