romanian orphan studies Flashcards
Who are orphans?
Children placed in care because their parents cannot look after them.
This includes children whose parents have died or abandoned them permanently.
Define an orphan.
A child whose parents have either died or have abandoned them permanently.
Orphan status can significantly impact a child’s emotional and developmental well-being.
What does the term ‘institutionalisation’ refer to?
The effects of living in an institutional setting, such as a hospital or an orphanage, for long periods.
These settings often provide very little emotional care.
What is the focus of attachment research in relation to institutional care?
The effects of institutional care on children’s attachment and subsequent development.
Understanding these effects is crucial for improving care practices.
What was the purpose of studying Romanian orphans?
To study the effects of deprivation on emotional and intellectual development
Research on maternal deprivation has utilized orphan studies to understand these impacts.
What led to the rise of orphanages in Romania in the 1990s?
Nicolai Ceauçescu’s requirement for Romanian women to have five children
Many parents could not afford to keep their children, leading to institutionalization.
What was the aim of the English and Romanian adoptee (ERA) study?
To investigate the extent to which good care could compensate for poor early experiences in institutions
Conducted by Michael Rutter and colleagues.
How many Romanian orphans were followed in the ERA study?
165 Romanian orphans
These orphans were adopted by families in the UK.
At what ages was the development of the Romanian orphans assessed in the ERA study?
Ages 4, 6, 11, 15, and 22-25 years
A control group of 52 children from the UK was also assessed.
How many of the adopted children showed signs of delayed intellectual development upon arrival in the UK?
Half of the adoptees
The majority were also severely undernourished.
What was the mean IQ of children adopted before the age of six months?
102
Compared to 86 for those adopted between six months and two years, and 77 for those adopted after two years.
What attachment style was observed in children adopted after six months?
Disinhibited attachment
Symptoms include attention-seeking and clinginess towards all adults.
What was the sample size and age range of the children in the Bucharest early intervention (BEI) project?
95 Romanian children aged 12-31 months
They had spent most of their lives in institutional care.
What percentage of the control group in the BEI project were securely attached?
74%
Only 19% of the institutional group were classed as securely attached.
What unusual behavior was noted in 44% of institutionalized children in the BEI project?
Disinhibited attachment
This behavior was seen in less than 20% of the controls.
What is disinhibited attachment?
A behavior where children are equally friendly to familiar people and strangers
This contrasts with typical stranger anxiety seen in most children.
What has Rutter explained about disinhibited attachment?
It is an adaptation to living with multiple caregivers during the sensitive period for attachment formation
In poor quality institutions, children may not form secure attachments.
What was observed about intellectual disability in Rutter’s study?
Most children showed signs of intellectual disability upon arrival in Britain
However, those adopted before six months caught up with the control group by age four.
What is the critical age for attachment formation according to the study?
Before the age of six months
Adoption before this age can lead to recovery in emotional and intellectual development.
What is one strength of the Romanian orphanage studies?
Their application to improve conditions for children growing up outside their family home.
This has led to improvements in the conditions experienced by looked-after children.
How has the study of Romanian orphans improved care for children?
By leading to the implementation of one or two ‘key workers’ for emotional care instead of many caregivers.
This helps children develop normal attachments and avoid disinhibited attachment.
What is now considered an undesirable option for looked-after children?
Institutional care.
Efforts are made to accommodate such children in foster care or adoption.
What is a strength of the Romanian orphanage studies related to confounding variables?
The lack of confounding variables due to the children being handed over by loving parents who could not afford to keep them.
This leads to higher internal validity.
What was a challenge with previous orphan studies before the Romanian studies?
Many of the children had experienced varying degrees of trauma, making it difficult to separate the effects of neglect, physical abuse, and bereavement from those of institutional care.
This complicates the understanding of the impact of institutional care.
What is a counterpoint regarding the quality of care in Romanian orphanages?
The remarkably poor quality of care, with very little intellectual stimulation or comfort provided.
This raises questions about whether harmful effects are due to institutional care itself or the poor quality of care.
What is a limitation of the Romanian orphanage studies?
The current lack of data on adult development of the children studied.
The latest data looked at children only in their early- to mid-adolescence.
What long-term research questions remain unanswered regarding Romanian orphans?
Lifetime prevalence of mental health problems and success in forming and maintaining adult relationships.
It will take time to gather this data due to the longitudinal design of the study.
Fill in the blank: The harmful effects seen in studies of Romanian orphans may represent the effects of _______ rather than institutional care per se.
poor institutional care.
True or False: The Romanian orphanage studies have shown that institutional care is always beneficial for children.
False.
Institutional care is now considered an undesirable option.
What might late-adopted children from Romanian orphanages potentially do?
Catch up in their development.
This remains to be seen as longitudinal studies progress.
