Evaluation

• A strength of the research into Romanian orphans is that it has significantly improved our understanding of the importance of continuous attachment in child development, as well as the detrimental effects of institutional care. This research has led to practical improvements in the conditions of children growing up outside the family home. For example, it has influenced the reduction in caregiver-to-child ratios in children's homes, with many now employing 'key workers' who provide consistent, personalized emotional care for children.
• Additionally, the research highlighted that younger children benefit from earlier adoption, leading to quicker placements of babies into adoptive homes, which has improved their emotional well-being.Furthermore, the studies revealed the severe negative effects of large caregiver-to-child ratios in institutions, such as the one caregiver for every 20 children in Romania during the revolution. This finding led to a shift in care practices, ensuring that children receive more focused attention.
• Overall, the research has had a profound influence on child care policies and practices, making a positive impact on the emotional and psychological welfare of children in institutional care.
• A strength of the Romanian orphan studies is the lack of confounding variables, which enhances the internal validity of the findings. Unlike previous studies on orphans, such as those conducted during the Second World War, where children had often experienced trauma, physical abuse, or bereavement, the Romanian orphans were mainly placed in care due to economic circumstances. Their parents, who were often loving but unable to care for them, gave them up voluntarily.
• This reduced the likelihood of the children having experienced other negative early life events, allowing researchers to more clearly isolate the effects of institutional care itself. However, one limitation of the Romanian studies is that the quality of care in the institutions was extremely poor, with children receiving minimal intellectual stimulation or emotional comfort.
• This suggests that while institutional care can have harmful effects on child development, these effects might be more specifically attributed to the poor quality of care provided in the Romanian orphanages rather than institutional care as a whole. Therefore, while the study design allows for clearer conclusions about the impact of institutional care, the specific conditions in these orphanages may limit the generalizability of the findings to other contexts.
• A limitation of the research into Romanian orphans is that the findings could be considered socially sensitive, particularly in relation to late adoption and its associated developmental outcomes. The studies indicate that children adopted later in life tend to have poorer developmental outcomes, which could lead to stigmatization. If this information is made public or known to institutions, such as employers or schools, it could negatively impact these individuals' prospects
• For example, employers or teachers might lower their expectations, potentially resulting in discrimination or a self-fulfilling prophecy where the children internalize these negative beliefs and perform poorly. This presents an ethical dilemma, as the potential harm caused by the social repercussions of publishing these findings could outweigh the benefits of the research. As a result, this could be seen as an unethical aspect of the study, as it may inadvertently harm the individuals it aims to understand and help.
• A final limitation of the research into Romanian orphans is that the findings do not provide much insight into adult behaviours or development. While the studies have focused on the children’s early years and the impact of institutional care, it is unclear how these experiences may influence their adult relationships and parenting styles. It would be valuable to examine whether the attachment types formed during childhood, particularly those influenced by institutional care, have lasting effects on their relationships as adults and as parents.
• However, this information is not yet available because the orphans are still growing up, and we will need to wait until they are older to fully understand the long-term effects of their early experiences. This is a limitation because it means the research cannot offer a comprehensive view of how these early attachments affect individuals throughout their entire life, and we cannot yet determine if late-adopted children might “catch up” in their development over time. Therefore, we must await future findings to gain a more complete understanding of the long-term impact.