Institutionalisation & the Romanian Orphans

• What was the purpose of the hidden city of daycares in Romania?

  To house unwanted children due to a weak economy
• What did Rutter aim to evaluate in the ERA study?

  The effects of institutionalisation on child development
• How many children were studied in the ERA study?

  165 children
• What was the comparison group in the ERA study?

  52 British children adopted before 6 months
• What trend was observed regarding the age of adoption and development outcomes?

  Later adoption correlated with worse developmental effects
• What attachment issue was commonly found in children adopted after 6 months?

  Disinhibited attachment
• What behavior did children with disinhibited attachment often exhibit?

  Unawareness of how to attach to parental figures
• What signs were observed in some children from the study?

  Signs of quasi-autism
• What did Zenah's study reveal about Romanian children and attachment?

  • Only 19% were securely attached
  • Supports disinhibited attachment theory
  • Indicates children were unaware of forming new attachments
• How did Langtons apply the findings of the ERA study?

  • Reduced child per caregiver ratios
  • Increased adoption rates
  • Helped mitigate effects of institutionalisation
• What is a limitation of the data from the ERA study?

  Lack of information on adulthood effects
• Why does the lack of adult data reduce the usability of the ERA study findings?

  It limits understanding of long-term effects
• What age were children adopted before in the comparison group of the ERA study?

  Before 6 months of age
• What was the main finding regarding the development of Romanian children compared to UK children?

  Most Romanian children lagged behind UK children