lesson 11 romanian orphan studies: effects of institutionalisation attachments Flashcards
what is institutionalisation?
when babies and children are placed in an institution in a building where parents are unable to be looked after by parents or caregivers
what are the two negative consequences of institutionalisation?
child adopting rules and norms of the institution that can impair functioning which leads to a loss of personal identity
what was found out about Romanian orphanages?
more than 100000 orphans in 600 state-run orphanages where the children spent their days alone in cribs with very little stimulation, they were malnourished and uncared for
procedure for Rutter and Songua-Barke
led the study of a group of Romanian orphans called ERA
Romanian children who entered the UK fell into three age groups and were adopted by British families
1) 54 adopted before the age of 6 months
2) 57 adopted between the ages 6 months and 2 years
3) 54 adopted between the ages 2-4 years
adoptees were tested at regular intervals 4,6,11,15 years to assess their physical, cognitive and social development
information was gathered in interviews with parents and teachers
progress was compared to a control group of 52 British children adopted in the uk before the age of 6 months
findings of ERA
at the time of adoption, Romanian orphans lagged behind their British counterparts on all measures of physical, social, emotional and cognitive development
by age of 4, some of the Romanian children had caught up with their British counterparts especially those children adopted before the age of 6 months
children adopted after 6 months, more likely to suffer social, emotional, cognitive deceits
at the age of 11, the mean IQ was:
1) adopted before 6 months - 102
2) adopted between 6 months and 2 years- 86
3) adopted between 2-4 years- 77
their IQ remained at 16 years
disinhibited attachments where children equally friendly to all people
conclusion of ERA study
institutional care does not always mean that children will not recover
bad conditions can lead to future consequences
effects of institutionalisation can be minimised if children are adopted as young as possible
Le Mare and Audet 2006
longitudinal study of 36 Romanian orphans adopted to families in Canada
researchers studies the orphans physical growth and health
adopted orphans were physically smaller than a matched control group at age four and a half years but the difference had disappeared by age 11- also the case for physical health
what are the effects on institutionalisation?
physical underdevelopment- lack of emotional care caused deprivation dwarfism
intellectual underfunctioning- low IQ
disinhibited attachments- children do not discriminate between attachment figures
quasi autism- struggle to understand meaning of social context, show repetitive behaviours
poor parenting- Harlow showed this
strengths of institutionalisation studies
real world application- orphanages and homes now have one or two people playing a key role in orphans lives, adoption must happen as young as possible
Rutters research has fewer confounding variables- other studies involved children who were traumatised before so children were dealing with too many factors, Romanian orphans mostly came form loving families so results much less likely to be confounded
weaknesses of institutionalisation studies
ethical issues- consent of adoptees and their parents, psychological harm caused, social sensitivity
individual differences- some children may have received more care and attention in the orphanages so they didn’t have the same attachment experiences
