Institutionalisation

• Michael Rutter criticised Bowlby as he did not distinguish between privation and deprivation
• Rutter argues privation causes a lack of intellectual stimulation and social experiences for children
• Institutionalisation is the effects of being in institutional care e.g orphanages
• Rutter & Sonuga-Barke carried out the ERA study
• The ERA study used 165 romanian children from orphanages, 111 adopted before 2 years and 54 adopted before 4 years
• The romanian ophans were tested at regular intervals (4,6,11,15) to assess physical, cognitive & social development, and carried out interviews with parents & teachers
• The ERA study had a control group of 52 British orphans adopted before 6 months
• Rutter & Sonuga-Barke found that the romanians lagged behind the British children as they were smaller, weighed less, classified as mentally retarded and showed overfriendliness
• Rutter & Sonuga-Barke found that almost all orphans adopted by 6 months had caught up by age 4
• Rutter & Sonuga-Barke concluded that if children have the chance to form attachments the effects of institutionalisation may be less than previously thought
• Le Mare & Audet (2006) measured physical development of 36 romanian orphans in Canada
• Le Mare & Audet (2006) found that the orphans were less developed at age 4 1/2 but there was no difference by age 10 1/2
• Zeanah et al (2005) carried out the Bucharest Early Intervention Project with 95 Romanian adoptees aged 12-31 who had spent an average of 90% of their lives in orhanages
• Zeanah et al (2005) found that the strange situation showed institutionalised children had poor attachment behaviours compared to a control group