Sample: 165 Romanian orphans adopted in Britain and 52 British adoptees as the control group.
Procedure: They were assessed on physical, cognitive and emotional development at the ages 4, 6, 11 And 15 years.
Findings: Difference in outcome appeared to relate to whether the adoption took place before or after 6 months.
Mean IQ of Romanian orphans:
Adopted before 6 months - 109
Adopted between 6 months and 2 years - 86
Adopted after 2 years - 77
Marked Disinhibited Attachment Disorder
Uk adoptees - 2 children
Romanian adoptees adopted before 6 months - 4 children
Romanian adoptees adopted after 6 months - 23 children
The study shows that institutional care may have some long term negative effects on a child - e.g. disinhibited attachment.
Zeanah et al: Bucharest Early Intervention Project
95 children aged 12-31 months who had spend most of their lives in institutionalised care were compared to a control group of 50 children who had not been in an institution.
Found that 74% of the control group was securely attached.
Found that 19% of the institutionalised group was securely attached.
