Chapter 3.10 - Romanian orphan studies: Institutionalisation

Question 1

What are orphan studies?

Answer 1

Those that concern children placed in care because their parents cannot look after them, died or abandoned

Question 2

What is institutionalisation?

Answer 2

The effects of living in an institutional setting

Question 3

Describe Rutter’s procedure (2011)

Answer 3

• 165 Romanian orphans were followed
• They were adopted by UK families
• Investigated the extent to which good care could make up for the poor early experiences
• Physical, cognitive, and emotional development was assessed at 4,6,11,15 and 22-25 years
• 52 UK adopted children around the same time were the control group

Question 4

Describe Rutter’s findings (2011)

Answer 4

• Adopted before 6 months = mean IQ 102 = Rarely displayed disinhibited attachment
• Adopted between 6 months to 2 years = mean IQ 86 = Showed disinhibited attachment
• Adopted after 2 years = mean IQ 77 = Showed disinhibited attachment
• Disinhibited attachment symptoms: attention-seeking, clinginess and social behaviour to familiar and unfamiliar adults

Question 5

Describe Zeanah’s procedure (2005)

Answer 5

• 95 Romanian children
• 12 - 31 months, spent 90% of their lives in institutional care
• Attachment type assessed using the strange situation
• Carers were asked about unusual social behaviour
• Control group of 50 who never lived in an institution

Question 6

Describe Zeanah’s findings (2005)

Answer 6

• 74% of the control group were securely attached
• 19% of the institutional group were securely attached
• Descriptions of disinhibited attachment applied to 44% of the institution group
• Descriptions of disinhibited attachment applied to less than 20% of the institution group

Question 7

What are the effects of institutionalisation? (DI)

Answer 7

• Disinhibited attachment: friendly and affectionate towards familiar and unfamiliar people, unusual as 2 year olds show stranger anxiety
• RUTTER Explained as an adaptation to living with multiple caregivers during the sensitive period, 50:1 children to keyworker ratio

Question 7

What are the effects of institutionalisation? (ID)

Answer 7

• Intellectual disability: when arrived in Britain but most who were adopted before 6 months caught up with the control group by 4 years old
• Result of institutionalisation can be recovered by adoption before the age of 6 months

Question 8

What is a strength of the Romanian orphan studies? (real-world application)

Answer 8

• The study of Romanian orphans has improved psychologists’ understanding of the effects of early institutional care and how to prevent the worst of these effects
• A child in the care system tend to have one or two key workers who play a central role in their emotional care
• Children in institutional care can develop normal attachments and disinhibited attachment is avoided

Question 9

What is a strength of the Romanian orphan studies? (fewer confounding variables)

Answer 9

• Orphan studies during the second world war had experienced varying degrees of trauma and it is difficult to differentiate the effects of neglect, physical abuse, and bereavement from those of institutional care
• The Romanian orphans all had grown up in the institutions and given up by loving parents who couldn’t afford to keep them
• Results were less likely to be confounded by other negative early experiences, HIGHER INTERNAL VALIDITY

Question 10

What is a counterpoint of the Romanian orphan studies? (fewer confounding variables)

Answer 10

• The quality of care in the institutions were poor with children receiving very little intellectual stimulation or comfort
• The harmful effects of institutionalisation may only apply to institutions of that severity

Question 11

What is a limitation of the Romanian orphan studies? (lack of adult data)

Answer 11

• The latest data of the children was from their early to mid 20s
• Gathering data about the long-term effects of early institutional care on mental health problems and adult romantic and parental relationships will take time due to the LONGITUDINAL design of the study
• It may take a long time to understand the long-term effects of institutionalisation on the Romanian orphans

Question 12

What is another evaluation point of Romanian orphan studies? (social sensitivity)

Answer 12

• The results show that late-adopted children typically have poor developmental outcomes
• Potential adopters might change their mind because of the research, treated differently potentially
• Can create a self-fulfilling prophecy