attachment: institutionalisation Flashcards
why did Romania have so many children in orphanages in the 1990s?
the communist rule introduced banned abortions and denied contraception which lead to many children abandoned and sent to orphanages, meaning there was overpopulation and not all children could be subsequently cared for
define institutionalisation
the effects of living in an institutional setting for a long, continuous period of time and often little emotional care is provided
outline the procedure of Rutter’s ERA (2011) study into the effects of institutionalisation on the Romanian Orphans.
followed a group of 165 Romanian orphans adopted in Britain and tested was good care could make to a poor early experience in orphans, he then tested the physical, cognitive and emotional development in ages 4, 6, 11 and 15, using a control group of 52 British adopted children
outline the findings of Rutter’s ERA (2011) study into the effects of institutionalisation on the Romanian Orphans.
found 1/2 adoptees when first arrived in the UK showed signs of retardation and the majority were malnourished
adoptees age 11 showed different rates of recovery related to age
the mean IQs of ages: (adopted)
before 6 months = 102
6 months - 2 years = 85
2 years + = 77
children adopted after 6 months shows disinhibited attachment : attention seeking, clinginess, social behaviour
outline the procedure of Zeanah’s (2005) Early Intervention project into the effects of institutionalisation on the Romanian Orphans.
assessed the attachment in 95 children aged 12-31 months who have spent most their lives in institutional care, used strange situation and compared to a control group of children who have never lived in institutional care
outline the findings of Zeanah’s (2005) Early Intervention project into the effects of institutionalisation on the Romanian Orphans.
74% of control group = securely attached
19% of institutional group = securely attached
65% of institutional group = disorganised attachment
what are the three main effects of institutionalisation?
disinhibited attachment , mental retardation, physical development
outline disinhibited attachment as an effect of institutionalisation.
being equally friendly and affectionate towards familiar adults and strangers
why is disinhibited attachment an adaptive response to institutionalisation?
because the children will have different carers during sensitive period, meaning they have no special attachment
ao3: evaluate the methodology of both studies into the effects of institutionalisation.
is this a strength or limitation?
the conditions are so bad in Romanian orphanages so the findings cannot be applied to the understanding of better-quality institutional care, the children have extremely low levels of intellectual stimulation therefore the studies use unusual situational variables and ack generalisability
ao3: what practical applications has research into the effects of institutionalisation got? why is this a strength of the research?
it enhanced our understanding of effects of institution, led to improvements in care for orphans (Langton 2006) who will have multiple carers per child showing the research is immensely valuable
ao3: how is research into the effects of institutionalisation potentially ethically questionable? why is this a limitation of research into institutionalisation?
because of the children being so young, they cant fully give consent which leads to the study potentially taking away the ability for the children to properly enjoy their new life
ao3: do we know whether the effects of institutionalisation are long term? Explain your answer. why is this a strength/ limitation?
studies have now followed up fostered and adopted orphans into their mid-teens and found some lasting effects of early experience, in particular for those adopted late. however, it is too soon to say with certainty whether children suffered short- or long-term effects.
it may be that the children who spent longer in institutions and currently lag behind in intellectual development or display attachment difficulties may still ‘catch up’ as adults. Equally, early-adopted/ fostered children who appear to have no issues now may experience emotional problems as adults.
