romanian orphan studies Flashcards
what is institutionalisation?
it is a term for the effects of living in an institutional setting. by ‘institution’ we mean a place like a hospital or a orphanage where people live for long, continuous periods of time. in such places there is often very little emotional care provided.
what is Rutter et al. (2011) english and romanian adoptee (ERA) study?
- 165 romanian children, most who’d been in care from soon after birth, were assessed on a variety of measures of physical, emotional and intellectual ability on arrival in britain.
- the children were assessed again at 4,6,11,15 and 22-25 years old
- compared to 52 british children adopted at the same time acted as a control group.
- upon arrival: evidence of delayed intellectual development (average IQ 63) and majority severely undernourished (51% of them in the bottom 3% of the population for weight)
what were the findings to Rutter et al. (2011) english and romanian adoptee (ERA) study?
at age 11; different rates of recovery depending on ages of adoption
- mean IQ of those adopted before 6 months was 102
- mean IQ of those adopted between 6 months and 2 years was 86
- mean IQ of those adopted after 2 years was 77
these differences remained at 16 as well
those adopted after 6 months showed signs of an attachment style called disinhibited attachment, this is rarely displayed in those adopted before 6 months
what is the procedure for Zeanah et al (2005) Bucharest early intervention (BEI) project?
they assessed attachment in 95 romanian kids aged 12-31 months who spent around 90% of their lives in a institution. compared to a control group of 50 kids who had never been institutionalised. attachment type was measured by the strange situation. carers asked about unusual social behaviour (a measure of disinhibited attachment)
what were the findings of Zeanah et al (2005) Bucharest early intervention (BEI) project?
74% of the control group were securely attached in the strange situation. only 19% of the institution group were securely attached. the description of disinhibited attachment applied to 44% of institutionalised kids compared to less than 20% of the control group.
what were the conclusions on the effects of institutionalisation?
disinhibited attachment: a child who is equally friendly and affectionate towards a stranger and familiar people
intellectual disability: most children showed signs of intellectual disability (rutter). however kids adopted before 6 months caught up by age 4.
AO3: how is ‘real life application’ a strength to the romanian orphan studies and effects of institutionalisation?
research studies such as Rutter et al or Zeanah et al. have developed our understanding of effects of institutionalisation. this has led to improvements in ways children are cared for in such places. for example, it had an impact on children that are looked after in group care homes. they now avoid having large numbers of caregivers for each child and tend to stick to 1-2 key workers. they also try to place the child into a foster home first as it is more beneficial than care homes.
AO3: how is ‘fewer confounding variables’ a strength o the romanian orphan studies and effect of institutionalisation?
many children in the romanian orphan studies were initially in loving homes. this is an advantage, when compared to previous studies in to the effects of institutionalisation because, although they suffered extreme abuse and neglect, they had a loving family before that just couldn’t look after them. this means that the results were much less likely to be confounded by other negative early experiences.
AO3: how is ‘lack of adult data’ a limitation to the romanian orphan studies and effect of institutionalisation?
the last time the ERA study reviewed the participants, they were in their early-mid 20s, which means we do not have recent updates. this might be an issue because, we don’t have answers for the questions of long term effects. these questions include, how their mental health is like?, how their success is in formaing and maintaining adult relationships both romantic and parental?. it would take a long time to gather this data before we know the long term effects.
AO3: how is ‘social sensitivity’ a limitation to the romanian orphan studies and effect of institutionalisation?
the romanian orphan studies have been accused of being socially sensitive. this is because it shows that the late adopted children typically have poor developmental outcomes. as the results have been published, the parents, carers and teachers may lower their expectations and treat them differently. it might’ve created a self-fulfilling prophecy.
