Attachment - Romanian Orphan Studies: Effects Of Institutionalisation Flashcards
What is institutionalisation?
nstitutionalisation refers to the effects of living in an institutional setting. The term “institution” refers to a place like a hospital or an orphanage where children live for long, continuous periods of time. In such places, there is often very little emotional care provided. In attachment research, we are interested in the effects of institutional care on children’s attachment and subsequent development.
What are orphan studies?
Orphan studies concern children placed in care because their parents cannot look after them. An orphan is a child whose parents have either died or have permanently abandoned them.
What was the procedure of Rutter’s ERA (English and Romanian Adoptee) study?
Rutter and colleagues (2011) followed a group of 165 Romanian orphans adopted in Britain to test the extent to which good care could make up for poor early experiences in institutions. Physical, cognitive, and emotional development were assessed at ages 4, 6, 11, and 15 years. The progress of a control group of 52 British children adopted around the same time was also tracked.
What were the findings of Rutter’s ERA study?
At the time of adoption, the Romanian orphans showed delayed intellectual development and were severely undernourished.
At age 11, the rate of recovery was related to the age of adoption. Those adopted before six months had a mean IQ of 102, compared to 86 for those adopted between six months and two years, and 77 for those adopted after two years.
Children adopted after six months showed disinhibited attachment, which includes attention-seeking, clinginess, and indiscriminate affection towards strangers. This was rare in children adopted before six months.
What was the procedure of the Bucharest Early Intervention project?
Zeanah et al. (2005) assessed the attachment of 95 children aged 12–31 months who had spent most of their lives in institutional care. They were compared to a control group of 50 children who had never lived in an institution. Attachment type was measured using the Strange Situation. In addition, carers were asked about unusual social behavior, including disinhibited attachment.
What were the findings of the Bucharest Early Intervention project?
74% of the control group were securely attached, compared to only 19% of the institutional group.
65% of the institutionalised group were classified with disorganised attachment.
Disinhibited attachment applied to 44% of institutionalised children, compared to less than 20% of the controls.
What are the two main effects of institutionalisation?
Disinhibited attachment: This is a typical effect of spending time in an institution. It includes attention-seeking, clinginess, and indiscriminate friendliness towards both familiar and unfamiliar adults. Rutter (2006) explained this as an adaptation to living with multiple caregivers during the sensitive attachment period.
Mental retardation: Most children in Rutter’s study showed signs of intellectual development delay when they arrived in Britain. However, children adopted before the age of six months had caught up with the control group by age 4.
What is one evaluation point about the real-life application of Romanian orphan studies?
Romanian orphan studies have enhanced our understanding of the effects of institutionalisation, leading to improvements in child care. For example, orphanages now avoid large numbers of caregivers for each child and instead assign one or two key workers who play a central role in the child’s development. This reduces the likelihood of disinhibited attachment. Such findings demonstrate the practical value of research in improving real-world care practices and supporting Bowlby’s theories of attachment.
What is one evaluation point about the fewer extraneous variables in Romanian orphan studies?
Many earlier orphan studies were confounded by variables such as trauma or abuse before institutionalisation. Romanian orphans, however, were often abandoned at birth, making it easier to isolate the effects of institutionalisation alone. This enhances the internal validity of these studies, as they provide clearer insights into the specific impacts of institutional care on attachment and development.
What is one evaluation point about the unusual nature of Romanian orphanages?
Conditions in Romanian orphanages were so extreme, including poor standards of care and little intellectual stimulation, that the findings may not generalise to other situations. This limits the external validity of the research as the outcomes observed may not apply to children placed in institutions with better conditions.
What is one evaluation point about the long-term effects of institutionalisation?
Although some children in Romanian orphan studies recovered fully, others continue to experience developmental issues such as intellectual delays and disinhibited attachment. It is too soon to say whether these effects will persist into adulthood. This uncertainty highlights the need for further longitudinal research to better understand the enduring consequences of institutionalisation and test the validity of sensitive period theories in attachment.
