Effects of Institutionalisation

• Disinhibited attachment - equally friendly & affectionate to familiar people and strangers. This is unusual as most children in their 2nd year show stranger anxiety(Schaffer & Emerson). Rutter explained disinhibited attachment as a repercussion of living with multiple caregivers during the sensitive period for attachment formation. (Bowlby) In poor quality institutions, a child may have 50 carers but not spend enough time with any of them to form a secure bond.
• Intellectual disability - In Rutter's study, most children showed signs of intellectual disability when they arrived in Britain. Most of those adopted before 6 months old caught up with the control group by age 4. It appears that, like emotional development, intellectual development as a result of institutionalisation can be recovered if adoption takes place before 6 months of age- when attachments start to form.