Romanian Orphanage Study

Question 1

Institutionalisation:

Answer 1

Term for the effects of living in an institutional setting

Question 2

How did the opportunity to study them arise?

Answer 2

1. Former President Ceaucescu required Romanian women to have 5 children.
2. Many parents could not afford to keep their children and ended up in huge orphanages.
3. After the 1989 revolution may of the children were adopted, some by British parents.

Question 3

Rutter’s ERA (English and Romanian Adoptee) Study: Procedure

Answer 3

1. Followed a group of 165 Romanian orphans adopted in Britain to test to what extent good care could make up for poor early experiences in institutions.
2. Physical, cognitive and emotional development has been assessed at ages 4,6,11 and 15 years of age.
3. 52 British children adopted at around the same time have served as a control group.

Question 4

ERA: Findings (Intellectual)

Answer 4

1. When they first arrived in the UK half the adoptees showed signs of delayed intellectual development and the majority were severely undernourished.
2. At 11 the adopted children showed differential rates of recovery that were related to their age of adoption.
3. Mean IQ: for those before 6 months was 102, 86 between 6 months and 2 years and 77 for those adopted after 2 years.
4. These differences remained at age 16 (Beckett).

Question 5

ERA: Findings Attachment

Answer 5

1. Adopted after 6 months showed signs of disinhibited attachment.
2. Symptoms included attention seeking, clinginess and social behaviour directed indiscriminately towards all adults.
3. Those adopted before 6 months rarely displayed DA.

Question 6

Bucharest Early Intervention Project: Procedure

Answer 6

1. Zeanah et al. 2005 assessed attachment in 95 children aged 12-31 months who had spent most of their lives in institutional care (90% on average).
2. Compared to 50 children who had never lived in an institution.
3. Their attachment type was measured using the Strange Situation.
4. Carers were asked about unusual social behaviour including clingy, attention-seeking behaviour directed inappropriately at all adults- DA.

Question 7

BEI: Findings

Answer 7

1. 74% of the control group came out as securely attached in the SS.
2. Only 19% of the institutional group were securely attached, with 65% being classified with disorganised attachment.
3. The description of DA applied to 44% of institutionalised children as opposed to less than 20% of the