institutionalisation

• What was Rutters study- Institutionalisation?

  Ongoing longitudinal study of Romanian orphans adopted by UK families compared with UK born adoptees placed with families before 6 months old.

  Romanian orphans adopted.

  Group 1- before 6 months

  Group 2- 6months-2years

  Group 3- 2-4years.
• What did Rutter find about disinhibited attachment?

  At age 6 Rutter looked for disinhibited attachment. This is where a child is equally friendly and affectionate towards people they know well or strangers.

  DA behaviour most common in late adopted Romanian orphans and was extremely rare in UK adopted and early adopted children.

  Suggests DA are more likely in children who expended longer periods in institution.

  Rutter suggests this is an adaption to living with multiple caregivers during sensitive period for attachment formation.
• What was Rutters follow up study?

  Children were followed up at ages 4,6,11,15.

  545 Romanian orphans showed signs of DA at age 6 still showed it at 11.

  Many of these children were also receiving help from either special education and/or mental health services.
• What were the effects on IQ?

  Before 6 months = 102

  6months-2years = 86

  2-4years = 77

  These differences in IQ remained at 16.
• What was the Bucharest Early Intervention Project?

  Comapred136 Romanian children who had spent 90% of lives in institution (on average) to control group (never been in institution).

  Children aged 12-31 months.

  70% control were securely attached compared to 19% institutionalised.

  44% institutionalised children showed signs of DA.
• What are the effects of institutionalisation?

  As well as DA others effects include:

  -physical undeveloped children in institutional care are usually psychically small - Garnder showed that lack of emotional care rather than poor nourishment is cause of 'deprivation dwarfism'.

  -poor parenting, Harlow showed that motherless monkeys raised with surrogate cloth monkey went on to become poor parents.

  -intellectual under functioning. Cognitive development also affected by emotional deprivation = Skodal and Skeels found children in institution scored poorly on intelligence tests.
• Are the effects of institutionalisation reversible?

  This is due to:

  -quality of care at institution

  -age of child when removed from institution

  -quality of care after institution

  -the follow on experiences later in life
• Give an overall evaluation

  Some research suggests children who don't form Praia ray attachment within that sensitive period are unable to recover and show signs of DA.

  however, not true for all children who experience institutionalisation.

  in Romanian orphans, one third recovered well.

  therefore, it seems damage only occurs when there are multiple risk factors.
• Give a strength of this study

  Real life app

  Enhanced understanding of instit and help improve care in institutions

  Intro of key workers to avoid disinhibited attach

  Valuable research
• Weakness?

  Not typical of all institutions

  Very poor standards of care

  Standards may have been so bad that they can't be applied to other institutions

  Unusual sit variables so lack generalisation