A01

• Research on maternal deprivation, mostly from orphan studies, examines the impact of institutional care on emotional and intellectual development. The English and Romanian adoptee (ERA) study by Rutter tracked 165 Romanian adoptees in the UK, assessing their development at various ages. Early adoption proved crucial, with those adopted before six months showing better outcomes, including higher IQs and fewer cases of disinhibited attachment.
• Similarly, the Bucharest Early Intervention (BEI) project by Zeanah evaluated attachment in 95 institutionalised Romanian children using the Strange Situation. These children had spent most of their lives in institutionalised care. Compared to controls, institutionalised children exhibited higher rates of disinhibited attachment and lower rates of secure attachment, indicative of emotional disturbances stemming from institutionalisation.
• Disinhibited attachment likely stems from multiple caregiver environments, observed in institutionalised children. They show equal affection towards familiar people and strangers. While intellectual disabilities were obvious initially, early adoption before six months overcame these effects, highlighting the critical role of early attachment in intellectual and emotional development.