Romanian orphan studies: Institutionalisation

• What are the two effects of institutionalisation?

  1.Disinhibited attachment

  2.Intellectual disability
• What is disinhibited attachment?

  - Attention seeking, clinginess, social behaviours

  
  

  towards all adults- familiar and strangers
• What did Rutter say about Disinhibited attachment?

  • Disinhibited is an adaption to living with multiple caregivers during the sensitive period for attachment formation.

  
  

  • Poor quality institutions, a child might have 50 carers but does not spend enough time with any one of them to be able to secure attachment.
• What is intellectual disability?

  •Impaired cognitive and intellectual development, for example adversely affecting their ability to learn/low IQ

  
  

  • In this case caused by prolonged periods in institutional care.
• What did Rutter find about intellectual disability?

  • Children showed signs of intellectual disability when they arrived in Britain.

  
  

  • Children adopted before the age of 6 months old caught up with the control group by age 4.
• What doesRutter's research suggest?Rutter's researchsuggest?- Like emotional development,damage to intellectual developmentas a result of institutionalisation can berecoveredif they areadopted before6months - the agespecific attachmentsform.
• What is the

  aimofRutter's research?- Investigate to what extentloving and nurturing carecould make up for the

  poor early experiencesin institutions.
• What is the

  procedureofRutter's research?Natural & Longitudinal experiment.

  
  

  ●165Romanian orphans adopted in Britain (ERA - English and Romanian adoptee)

  
  

  ●Assessed physical, cognitive & emotionaldevelopment at ages4, 6, 11 & 15.

  
  

  ● IV =age of adoptionwith 3 groups:

  1. Adoptedbefore 6 months

  2.Between 6 months & 2yrs

  3.After 2 yrs.

  
  

  ●Assessed with interviewswith parents & teachers.

  
  

  ● Progress wascompared to 52 British childrenadopted in the UK *before the

  age of 6 months.*
• What are the

  findingsofRutter's research?• Intellectual disability:50%of the children

  •Disinhibitedattachment:Adopted after 6 months, display this form of attachment

  
  

  IQ scores were related to the age of adoption-halfof theRomanian orphansshowed intellectual disability when they came to the UK and ataged 11therates of recoverywererelated to their age of adoption:

  
  

  1) adoptedbeforethe age of 6 months had amean IQ of 102

  2) adoptedbetweensix months and 2 years had amean IQ of 86

  3) adoptedbeyondthe age of 2 years had a meanIQ of 77
• What is the

  aimofZeanah research?- Tocompare attachment typesbetweenRomanian children in institutionalisedcare and those who hadnot experienced institutionalised careusing thestrange situation
• What is the

  procedureofZeanah research?● Conducted theBucharest early intervention(BEI) project

  
  

  ● Assessed attachment in95Romanian children aged12 - 31 months- spent most of their lives in institutions

  
  

  ● Compared to acontrol group of 50 childrenwho had never experienced institutional care

  
  

  ● Attachment type was measured using theStrange Situation.

  
  

  ● Carers reportedunusual behaviour(e.g. clingy, attention seeking behaviour - disinhibited attachment.
• What are the

  findingsofZeanah research•74%of the control group weresecurely attached

  
  

  •19%of the institutional group weresecurely attached

  
  

  • Description of disinhibited attachment applied to44% of institutionalised childrenas opposed to less than20%of the controls.