Romanian Orphan Studies: Effects of Institutionalisation

Question 1

What were the conditions of Romanian orphanages?

Answer 1

-Lack of nourishing food, toys and social interactions, little way of loving care
-Little contact with older and more able peer as divided into age groups

Question 2

What was the aim of Rutter et al’s study?

Answer 2

To assess whether loving and nurturing care could overturn effects of privation the children suffered in Romanian orphanages

Question 3

What were the procedures of the study?

Answer 3

-Compared 165 Romanian orphans adopted by British families with 52 British-born adoptees placed in families before 6months old
-3 conditions studied:
1. 58 babies adopted before 6 months
2. 59 babies adopted between 6 months and 2 yrs
3. 48 babies adopted after 2 yrs
-Initially assessed for height, head circumference and cognitive functioning on arrival in Britain
-Over half showed severe malnourishment
-Bottom in 1/3 of population for weight and head size
-All assessed again at age 4, with contol group of 52 british
-Some followed up at ages 4, 6 and 11 with measures including:
-parental reports of willingness with strangers
-home observation measuring extent of inappropriate contact with researcher
-assessement of peer relations via teacher and parent reports

Question 4

What were the findings of the study?

Answer 4

-Around 50% Romanian orphans were retarded in cognitive functioning at initial assessment, most were underweight
-Age 4 showed great improvements in physical and cognitive development, doing as well as control group
-Rutter tested for disinhibited attachment - attention seeking, clinginess, equally friendly to strangers
-Disinhibited attachment was most common in later adopted Romanian group with over 1/4 showing.
-Extremely rare in control group and early adopted children
-Suggests disinhibted attachments are more likely in children who have experienced longer periods in institution

Question 5

What was concluded from the study?

Answer 5

-Negative effects of institutionalisation can be overcome by sensitive, nurturing care
-British adoptees did not suffer developmental outcomes - separation from carers will not on its own cause negative developmental effects

Question 6

What are 2 strengths of Rutter et al’s study?

Answer 6

Support from The Bucharest Early Intervention Programme:
-Zeanah et al assessed attachment in 95 children who spent most lives in institutional care.
-Compared to control group of 50 children never in institution
-Attachment type measured with Strange Situation
-Carers asked about unusual behaviour including clinginess, attention-seeking and inappropriate behaviour to strangers
-Found 74% control group securely attached
-Only 19% institutional group securely attached, 65% disorganised attachment
-Disinhibited attachment in 44% institutionalised children opposed to less than 20% in control.
These findings increase reliability of Rutter’s findings as they support notion that institutionalisation is likely to lead to disinhibited attachment.

Real-life application:
-Results have led to improvements in the way children are cared for in institutions
e.g. orphanages now avoid having large numbers of caregivers for each child and instead ensure a small number
-Having a key worker means children have the chance to develop normal attachments and help avoid disinhibited attachment
This shows research has been immensely valuable in practical terms

Question 7

What are 2 limitations of Rutter et al’s study?

Answer 7

Romanian orphanages were not typical:
-It is possible that conditions were so bad that results cannot be applied to understanding the impact of better quality institutional care or indeed any situation where children experience deprivation
e.g. had particularly poor standards of care, esp when came to forming relationship with children, and extremely low levels of intellectual stimulation
The unusual situational variables mean the studies may after all lack generalisability.

Individual differences:
-Some research suggests individuals who do not form a primary attachment within sensitive period are unable to recover
-In all studies some children are not as strongly affected as others
-Rutter suggested it might be that some of children did receive special attention in institution, perhaps because they smiled more
-This would mean they did have some early attachment experiences
-Bowlby’s study of children hospitalised with TB showed there were individual differences in the way children cope
These issues make it difficult to make a valid assessment of effects of institutionalisation on children.