Romanian orphan studies - effects of institutionalisation

• Explain what is meant by institutionalisation

  Institutionalisation refers to when an infant lives outside the family home e.g. in a children’s home or hospital. This can result in the child adopting the rules and norms of the institution to the point it can lead to deindividuation (the loss of their personal identity).

  It can also affect a child’s intellectual, emotional and social development.
• Outline procedures of Romanian orphan studies

  One Romanian orphan study involved investigating Romanian orphans who had been adopted in Britain to investigate whether good care could make up

  for their experiences of living within an institution. As part of a longitudinal study, they investigated the Romanian orphans’ physical, cognitive and emotional development at various ages up until 15 years

  of age. Physical assessments included measuring their weight and height; cognitive assessments included IQ tests; and emotional development included

  measuring their type of attachment.
• Outline findings of Romanian orphan studies

  The research found that 50% of the Romanian orphans showed delayed IQ and most were undernourished, affecting their growth. They also found that nearly half of the Romanian orphans had a disinhibited attachment i.e. were overly clingy and affectionate towards strangers. However, the age they were adopted affected their recovery rates. E.g. those who were adopted earlier tended to have higher IQs than those who were adopted later. This means that the less time spent living within an orphanage led to better rates of recovery.
• Romanian OS strength - reduced confounding variables

  prior research into the effects of institutionalisation involved studying children who had been abused prior to living within an institution whereas Romanian orphans had not experienced negative effects (placed due to ban on contraception). strength - prior research couldn’t establish cause and effect - negative effects seen in children may have been due to the abuse received as opposed - living within an institution. Romanian OS are better able to establish C and E between living within An institution + negative effects (low iq) + cred
• Limitation of Romanian OS - issues of confounding variables

  the research examining how the amount

  of time spent living within a Romanian orphanage affected the child did not involve interfering with the adoption process i.e. the researcher did not

  choose who was adopted first. This is a limitation because the finding that those who were adopted earlier/spent less time in an institution had less

  severe effects in the long-term could be due to pre-existing differences. E.g. it may just be that those who were adopted earlier already had a higher IQ

  (hence they were chosen first). ? Cred
• Limitation of Romanian OS - findings not generalisable to all institutions

  This is because the ban on contraception meant

  that Romanian orphanages were full and, given the low numbers of staff, this led to poor standards of care. This is a limitation because it may mean that

  the effects of institutionalisation would have been more severe In Romanian orphanages than they would have been in other institutions e.g. orphanages

  in Britain that had better standards of care. As a result, the effects of institutionalisation may have been exaggerated. 
• Strength of Romanian OS - effects of institutionalisation - practical application

  orphanages and children's homes now ensure that each child is given a key worker. This is a strength because this has meant that the children are more

  likely to be intellectually stimulated and are less likely to form disinhibited attachments due to being looked after by multiple new staff. In turn, such changes have helped to minimise the negative effects of institutionalisation. Therefore adds credibility