Romanian Orphan Studies

Question 1

what is institutionalisation

Answer 1

living in an institutional setting for a long period of time such as a hospital or an orphanage

Question 2

what was the procedure of rutter et als research

Answer 2

• followed a group of 165 romanian orphans
• they had been adopted by families in the UK
• physical, cognitive and emotional development were assessed at ages 4, 6, 11, 15 and 22-25 years old
• children from the UK adopted around the same time acted as a control group

Question 3

what were the findings of rutter et als research

Answer 3

• delayed intellectual development
• ADHD was more common
• children adopted after they were 6 months old showed signs of disinhibited attachment

Question 4

what are the symptoms of disinhibited attachment

Answer 4

• attention seeking
• clinginess
• indiscriminate social behaviour

Question 5

what was the procedure of Zeanah et al’s research

Answer 5

• assessed attachment in 95 romanian children who had spent most of their lives living in insititutional care
• they were compared to a control group children who had never lived in an institution
• their attachment type was measured using the strange situation
• carers were also asked about unusual social behaviour such as attention seeking

Question 6

what were the findings of Zeanah et al’s research

Answer 6

• 19% of institutionalised children were securely attached , control group 74%
• 44% of institutionalised children were disinhibited attached, 20% control group

Question 7

what are the effects of institutionalisation

Answer 7

• disinhibited attachment - these children are equally friendly and affectionate towards familiar people and strangers
• rutter explained this attachment type is an adaptation to living with multiple caregivers during the sensitive period