Institutionalisation – the effect of institutional care, specifically how time spent in an institution such as orphanage ca affect the development of children
Rutter et. al. (2011)
Studied 165 Romanian children who spent early lives in institutions
Children studied
111 children adopted before the age of 2 years
54 children adopted within 4 years
Development testing
1. Tested at ages 4, 6, 11 and 15
2. Using interviews with parents and teachers
At adoption
Romanian children all behind in development (socially, physically, seen as mentally retarded)
Adopted before 6 months
Some Romanian children caught up with British children by age 4
Adopted after 6 months
Showed significant deficits and signs of disinhibited attachment
Highlighting the long-term consequences of institutionalisation
Effects of Institutionalisation - Physical underdevelopment – lack of nourishment and emotional care can cause ‘deprivation dwarfism’ - Intellectual under functioning- emotional deprivation can affect cognitive development perform poorly with IQ. - Disinhibited attachment – a form of attachment where children treat nearstrangers with overfriendliness - Poor parenting – women raised in institutions experience extreme difficulties with acting as parents in later life
