Attachment : Romanian orphan studies : Institutionalisation

• Key study : Rutter

  Procedure

  • Followed 165 Romanian orphans adopted by families in UK
  • Aim of ERA to investigate extent to which good after care could make up for poor early experiences in institutions.
  • Phyiscal, cognitive & emotional development assessed at ages 4, 6, 11, 15 & 22-25yrs.
  • Group of 52 adopted children from UK as control group.
• Key study - Rutter

  Findings

  • When first arrive, half showed signs of delayed intellectual development & majority severely undernourished.
  • showed different rates of recovery related to age of adoption.
  • Between ages 11-16yrs — mean IQ if adopted : before 6 months = 102, 6 months = 86, after 2yrs & 77.
  • ADHD more common for 15yrs & 22-25yrs.
  • Attachment : after 6 months = disinhibited attachment (clingy, attention seeking). Before 6 months = rarely displayed disinhibited attachment.
• Key study - Zeanah

  Procedure.

  • BEI assessed attachment on 95 Romanian children 12-31 months who’d spent most of lives in institution (90% on average).
  • Compared to control group of 50 children who never lived in institution.
  • Attachment type measured using Strange Situation.
  • Carers also asked about unusual social behaviour (measurement of disinhibited attachment).
• Key study - Zeanah

  Findings

  • 74% of control group securely attached.
  • 19% of institution group securely attached.

  Disinhibited attachment :

  • 44% of institution group.
  • less than 20% of control group
• Effects of institutionalisation - disinhibited attachment.

  • Friendly & affectionate to everyone, attention seeking, clingy.
  • Unusual as should have stranger anxiety.
  • Rutter-due to having multiple caregivers during sensitive period. (W.g. Romanian institutions had 50 carers).
• Effects of Institutionalisation - intellectual disability (below average intelligence).

  • Rutter - most children showed signs of intellectual disability.
  • Those adopted before 6 months caught up with control group by 4.
  • Recovry is possible if adopted before 6 months bc can still form attachments.
• Evaluation - strength

  P- real world application to improve conditions for children growing up outside family home.

  Ev- Children homes avoid large numbers of caregivers for each child. 1-2 key workers who play central role in emotional care.

  Ex- means children in care have chance to develop normal attachments and disinhibited attachment is avoided.
• Evaluation- strength

  P- lack of confounding variables

  Ev- many orphan studies before Romanian orphans become available to study (e.g. Orphans studied during WW2).

  Ex- means results were less likely to be confounded by other negative early experiences (higher internal validity).
• Evaluation - weakness

  P- counterpoint for fewer confounding variables.

  Ev- Studying children from Romanian orphanages might have introduced different confounding variables. Quality of care in these institutions were very poor, with children receiving little intellectual stimulation/ conformity.

  Ex- means harmful effects seen in these studies may represent effects of poor institutional care rather than institutional care per se.
• Evaluation - weakness

  P- Lack of data on adult development.

  Ev- latest data from ERA study looked at children in early - mid 20s Don’t have data for long-term effects of early institutional care.

  Ex- means it will be some time before we know the long-term effects. Late adopted children may catch up.