Attachment - Romanian Orphan Studies Flashcards
When did Romania’s orphan problem begin?
Under the communist rule, who banned abortion and denied access to contraception
What did many Romanian’s do as a result of the abortion ban?
They abandoned their new-born children, leaving thousands to suffer at under-funded, state-run orphanages
What did the Western world become aware of in 1989?
They became aware of the issue and realised that many children were institutionalised
How many orphans were found and how many orphanages were found?
More than 100,000 orphans in 600 state-run orphanages
What did children in orphanages spend most of their days doing?
Spent most of their days in cribs with very little stimulation and were malnourished
Institutionalised
The behaviour patterns of children who have been raised outside of the family home in an institution like an orphanage
What carried out the Romanian orphan study?
Rutter
Who did Rutter study?
Romanian orphans, who were adopted by British parents, who had been in orphanages aged 1-2 weeks, with minimal adult contact
What research methods did Rutter use?
Longitudinal study and natural experiment
Longitudinal study
Researchers repeatedly examine the same participants to detect any changes that might occur over a period of time
Natural experiment
Experiment conducted in the everyday environment of the participants
At what ages were the Romanian orphans assessed in Rutter’s study?
Ages 4, 6, 11 and 21
What were the Romanian orphans when they first arrived in the UK in Rutter’s study?
They were malnourished
What was there a correlation between in 11 year olds in Rutter’s study?
A correlation between the rate of recovery and the age of adoption
The earlier the adoption, the higher the ______ in Rutter’s study?
Mean IQ of the orphans
What were there signs of in children adopted after 6 months in the Romanian orphanages in Rutter’s study?
Signs of disinhibited attachment
What did the signs of disinhibited attachment result in in Rutter’s study?
Attention seeking and physical, cognitive and social development delay
At age 11, what was the mean IQ for those adopted before 6 months (Rutter’s study)?
102
At age 11, what was the mean IQ for those adopted between 6-24 months (Rutter’s study)?
86
At age 11, what was the mean IQ for those adopted after 2 years (Rutter’s study)?
77
What did 26% of Romanian orphans show at age 6?
Disinvited attachments
What percentage of UK adoptees showed disinhibited attachments at age 6?
3.8%
By age 11, what percentage of the initial 26% of Romanian orphans still showed disinhibited attachments?
26%
Other than Rutter, what other study looked into Romanian orphanages?
Zeanah et al 2005
How many children did Zeanah et al study? What ages?
95 children who were 12-31 months
What was the control group of Zeanah et al’s study?
50 children who had never lived in institution
What was used to assess the children in Zeanah et al’s study?
Strange Situation
What percentage of the control group of Zeanah et al’s study were securely attached?
74%
What percentage of the institutional group were securely attach Ed in Zeanah et al’s study?
19%
What percentage of the institutional group were class as having a disinhibited attachment in Zeanah et al’s study?
65%
