Romanian Orphans and Institutionalisation

Question 1

What is meant by institutionalisation?

Answer 1

A type of deprivation infants are exposed to as they are separated from their monotropy bond permanently e.g becoming an orphan

Question 2

Outline effects of institutionalisation

Answer 2

Disinhibited attachment
Mental Retardation
Physical underdevelopment

Question 3

What is meant by disinhibited attachment?

Answer 3

Equally friendly and affectionate towards people they know well or people they have just met, showing no stranger anxiety. This is because they lived with multiple caregivers

Question 4

What is meant by mental retardation?

Answer 4

Damage intellectually to the infant, intellectual growth slows down. If they are adopted before the age of 6 months this can be reversed

Question 5

What is meant by physical underdevelopment?

Answer 5

Children are usually smaller as a result of care causing ‘deprivation dwarfism’

Question 6

Who researched into institutionalisation?

Answer 6

Rutter (2010)

Question 7

What was Rutter (2010)’s aim?

Answer 7

To investigate institutionalisation in Romanian orphans

Question 8

What was Rutter (2010)’s procedure?

Answer 8

ERA Studies English and Romanian adoptees’ were conducted involving 165 Romanian children who spent their early years in Romanian institutions. 111 were adopted by age 2 and a further 54 by age 4. They were tested at ages 4,6,11 and 15 to assess physical, social and cognitive development, as well as interviews with parents and teachers.

Their progress was then compared to a group of 52 British children who had been adopted before the age of 6 months.

Question 9

What were Rutter (2010)’s results?

Answer 9

At the time of adoption, the Romanian orphans were behind in their development of all measures. At the age of 4, some of the children had caught up who had been adopted before the age of 6 months.

Follow up studies show that these deficits remain in a subsequent minority as a result of institutional care after 6 months of age. Many orphans adopted after 6 months of age had disinhibited attachments

Question 10

What was Rutter (2010)’s conclusion?

Answer 10

Long term consequences may be less severe than once thought if children have the chance to form attachments. If they do not form attachments then the consequences are likely to be severe.

Question 11

What is meant by Quasi-autism?

Answer 11

Not clinically, autistic, but being unable to understand social contexts and displaying obsessive behaviour

Question 12

What did researchers notice about inattention and over-activity?

Answer 12

Those adopted after 6 months had higher inattention and over-activity

Question 13

What did researchers notice about cognitive impairment?

Answer 13

Adopted before 6 months - Mean IQ 102
6 months - 2 years - Mean IQ 86
Post 2 years - Mean IQ 77

Question 14

Who researched into the long term effects of institutionalisation?

Answer 14

Hodges and Tizard (1989)

Question 15

What was Hodges and Tizard (1989)’s aim?

Answer 15

To investigate the long term impacts of institutionalisation

Question 16

What was Hodges and Tizard (1989)’s procedure?

Answer 16

65 children placed in an institution when they were younger than 4 months, and were studied over a long period of time. There was a policy in the institution against carers forming attachments with children. By the ages of 4 24 of the children had been adopted, and 15 had returned to their natural homes

Data was gathered from parents, peers and teachers about the children at ages 8 and 16

Question 17

What were Hodges and Tizard (1989)’s results?

Answer 17

There were differences between adopted children and restored children with the adopted children forming good, close attachments, Unlike the restored children. Both groups sought adult attention and approval more than control group children with both groups being successful in peer relationships

Question 18

What was Hodges and Tizard (1989)’s conclusion?

Answer 18

Goes against maternal deprivation hypothesis as the two ex - institution groups were different within their family relationships. Adopted children went to a home that wanted children while restored children returned to a home with the same issues

Question 19

Strengths of the effects of institutionalisation

Answer 19

Real life application, through this research the work of institutes has positively improved. They now avoid large numbers of carers for each child

The negative effects can be overcame, as shown by Hodges and Tizard

Question 20

Limitations of the effects of institutionalisation

Answer 20

Romanian orphanages are not typical so we may question the cross - cultural validity of the research

Difficulty with research design as there was very little control over the variables and no control group, therefore difficult to draw conclusions

We aren’t yet sure of long term impacts of the research, cannot be sure they are beneficial