Privation - Failure to form attachment (Rutter et al)

Question 1

Define privation

Answer 1

Privation is the failure to form attachments and can manifest as both physical and emotional

Question 2

Define institutionalization

Answer 2

placement of an individual in an institution for therapeutic or correctional purposes or when he or she is incapable of living independently, often as a result of a physical or mental condition.

Question 3

Define disinhibited attachment

Answer 3

an attachment disorder that makes it hard for children to form an emotional bond with others

Question 4

What is emotional privation and why does it occur in institutions

Answer 4

Some children are raised in institutions; institutional care; children may not suffer from physical privation but suffer from emotional privation - a complete lack of emotional attachment to another human

Question 5

Rutter et al - Quasi Experiment AMRC

Answer 5

Michael Rutter and colleagues (2011) observed a group of 165 Romanian orphans adopted in Britain to test to what extent good care could make up for poor early experience in institutions.

The study observed the physical, cognitive and emotional development at ages 4, 6, 11 and 15 years of 165 Romanian orphans, and a group of 52 British children adopted around the same time were served as a control group.

At age 11, adopted children showed differential rates of recovery that were related to the age of adoption.
IQ: Adopted before age of six months - 102.
Adopted between 6 and years was 86
Adopted after 2 years was 77
Differences remained at age 16.
Attachment - difference in outcome related to whether adoption took place before or after 6 months.
Adopted after 6 months had attachment style known as disinhibited attachment (attention seeking, clinginess and social behaviour - directed indiscriminately towards unfamiliar/familiar adults)
Children adopted before age of 6 months, rarely displayed this attachment

Effects of institutionalization
Disinhibited attachment: Typical effect of spending time in an institution and highly unusual behavior, considering that most children in their second year show stranger anxiety, whilst the kids who display disinhibited attachment are openly friendly to strangers and known adults
Attachment as an adaption to living with multiple caregivers during sensitive period for attachment formation - e.g. 50 carers with no form of secure attachment
Mental retardation:
Most children showed signs of ‘retardation,’ when arriving in Britain - kids adopted before 6 months caught up with the control group by age 4
Emotional development - intellectual development can be damaged as a result of institutionalization (can be recovered provided adoption before age of 6 months)