Romanian orphan studies and effects of institutionalisastion

• Institutionalisation


  Children spending substantial period of time living in an institution such as an orphanage or children's home
• Deprivation


  • If the infant has formed an attachment at home prior to institutionalisation they may experience a 'loss in attachment'
• Prevention


  • If the infant has not formed an attachment at home prior to institutionalisation they had a 'a lack of attachment'
• Romania's leaders from 1965-1989 banned contraceptives and abortions and improved a celibacy tax on families that had fewer than five children
• State doctors would see if women in the workplace were producing sufficient offspring
• Because many families were too poor to keep their children they abandoned many to institutions. So by 1989 there were more than 170,000 children living in these facilities.
• Conditions in the Romanian orphanage

  • Children where caged in cots, very unhygienic, cramped and dark conditions and no play spaces or toys
  • They were given food and water, they were not provided with the ability to wash and they were given the bare minimum to survive
  • There were very few members of staff and wouldn't be held or cared for, they had no emotion they were just left there
• Rutter et al (2011) English and Romanian Adoptee study (ERA study)
• Procedure


  1. Followed 165 romanian orphans adopted in britain

  2. They wanted to see what extent good care could make up for early experiences of institutions

  3. This was a natural longitudinal experiment as the independent variable was age of adoption (naturally occurring ), with 3 groups that were being studied
• Adoption groups


  • Children adopted before the age of 6 months
  • Children adopted between 6 months and 2 years
  • Children adopted after 2 years
• These groups were compared to 52 British children adopted the same time - control group
• Dependent variable


  The children's level of physical, cognitive and emotional development was assessed at different ages - 4, 6, 11, 15
• main findings - romanian babies - at age 6


  adopted after six months - disinhibited attachment

  • overly friendly to adults - usually shown when adopted after two
• main findings - romanian babies - at age 11

  over half children who showed disinhibited attachment carried on showing it

  • also delayed physical, emotional and intellectual intelegance
  • adopted after 2 years an average IQ of 77 under six months 102IQ
• rutters research suggests


  adoption within 6 months important for the rates of recovery - rate of recovery depends at age of adoption - suggesting sensitive period not critical
• strengths for rutter - practical application

  change policies on adoption + care at orphanages

  • higher levels of care and ensuring early adoption and carefull screening of adoptive families
• limitation - rutter - non randomly assigned adoption


  adoptive parents hand picked children - could result in bias for more sociable children