Effect of institutionalisation Flashcards
outline the procedure of the Romanian orphan study by Rutter and Barke
1) a study of 165 Romanian orphans who spent time in institutions, 111 were adopted before the age of 2 and 54 before the age of 4
2) adoptees tested at regular intervals 4,6,11 and 15 years to assess physical, cognitive and social development
3) information gathered through interview with parents and teachers
4) progress was compared against 52 British adoptees adopted before the age of 6 months
outline the findings of the Romanian orphan study
1) at time of adoption R.orphans lagged behinde B.orphans
2) they were smaller, weighed less and classified as mentally retarded
3) by the age of 4 some of the R.orphans caught up to counterparts most of which were adopted before 6 months
4) orphans adopted after 6 months showed disinhibited attachment and problems with peer relationships
5) suggests long term consequences aren’t as severe if the child has the opportunity to form an attachment
6) more sever if attachment doesn’t occur
what are the effects if institutionalisation
1) physical under development
2) intellectual under functioning
3) disinhibited attachment
4) poor parenting in the future
what is disinhibited attachment
a form of attachment where children do not discriminate between people they chose as attachment figures, children will treat a near stranger the same as a primary attachment figure
explain the effect institutionalisation has on parenting
a study showed that 50 women raised in institutions compared to a control group reared in a home
when women in their 20w it was found that institutionalised women had extreme difficulties acting as parents
evaluate effects of institutionalisation
1) individual differences= not all children who experienced this is unable to recover, research shows some children are not as affected as others, it was suggested this was due to the child receiving special care or attention which might have enabled them to cope better- this means it’s not possible to conclude that institutionalization leads to an inability to form attachments
2) real-life application- research has been applied to improving the lives of children in care- research shows the importance of early adoption, in the past mothers were encouraged to nurse the baby for a significant amount of time, by the time they were adopted the sensitive period has passed. now most babies are adopted in the first week of birth aiding in the formation of a secure attachment
3) longitudinal study- followed the lives of children for many years. provided sufficient and reliable evidence on the short and long-term effects of institutionalization. Shorter studies mya have concluded that there are major effects however the long study showed effects can disappear with high-quality care. this research taken with individual differences shows it is wrong to assume institutionalization always has negative consequences
