Romanian Orphan Studies: Effects of Institutionalisation (AQA A-Level Psychology): Revision Notes
Romanian Orphan Studies: Effects of Institutionalisation
Introduction and historical context
Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation predicted that long-term negative effects would result from early deprivation. Researchers have been able to study this theory through examining institutional care. Much of our modern understanding comes from studies conducted over the past 25 years in Romania, where historical events left a large number of children in poor quality institutions.
Following the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu's regime in 1989, Romania had a tragic situation where many parents could not afford to keep their children, leading to huge numbers ending up in orphanages with very poor conditions. After the 1989 revolution, many of these children were adopted, some by British parents, providing researchers with a unique opportunity to study the effects of institutionalisation.
Key terminology
Institutionalisation refers to the effects of living in an institutional setting such as a hospital or orphanage, where children live for long, continuous periods. In such places, there is often very little emotional care provided. Attachment research focuses on how institutional care affects children's attachment formation and subsequent development.
Orphan studies examine children placed in care because their parents cannot look after them. An orphan is a child whose parents have either died or abandoned them permanently.
Key studies
Rutter's ERA study (English and Romanian Adoptee study)
Worked Example: Rutter's ERA Study Design
Researchers: Michael Rutter and colleagues (2011)
Participants: 165 Romanian orphans adopted in Britain, with 52 British children adopted around the same time serving as a control group
Aim: To test whether good care could compensate for poor early experiences in institutions
Procedure: This longitudinal study assessed physical, cognitive and emotional development at ages 4, 6, 11 and 15 years. Researchers examined the extent to which good care could make up for poor early institutional experiences.
Key Findings:
- When first arriving in the UK, half the adoptees showed signs of delayed intellectual development and the majority were severely undernourished
- At age 11, adopted children showed different rates of recovery related to their age of adoption
- Children adopted before six months had a mean IQ of 102, compared with 86 for those adopted between six months and two years, and 77 for those adopted after two years
- These differences remained at age 16
- Regarding attachment, children adopted after six months showed signs of disinhibited attachment, including attention-seeking, clinginess and social behaviour directed indiscriminately towards all adults
- Children adopted before six months rarely displayed disinhibited attachment
The study demonstrates that emotional development damage from institutionalisation can be recovered if adoption occurs before six months - the critical period when attachments typically form.
The Bucharest Early Intervention project
Worked Example: Bucharest Early Intervention Study
Researchers: Zeanah et al. (2005)
Participants: 95 children aged 12-31 months who had spent most of their lives in institutional care (90% on average), compared with 50 children who had never lived in an institution as a control group
Aim: To assess attachment patterns using the Strange Situation and measure social behaviour in institutionalised children
Procedure: Researchers measured attachment using the Strange Situation procedure and assessed unusual social behaviour, including clingy attention-seeking behaviour directed inappropriately at all adults (disinhibited attachment).
Key Findings:
- 74% of the control group were classified as securely attached in the Strange Situation
- Only 19% of the institutional group were securely attached
- 65% of institutionalised children were classified with disorganised attachment
- 44% of institutionalised children showed disinhibited attachment compared to less than 20% of controls
Effects of institutionalisation
Disinhibited attachment
Disinhibited attachment represents a typical effect of spending time in an institution. Children displaying this pattern are equally friendly and affectionate towards people they know well and complete strangers. This highly unusual behaviour contrasts with most children in their second year who show stranger anxiety.
Rutter (2006) explained disinhibited attachment as an adaptation to living with multiple caregivers during the sensitive period for attachment formation. In poor quality institutions like those in Romania, a child might have had 50 carers, none of whom they saw enough to form a secure attachment with.
Mental retardation
Most children in Rutter's study showed signs of intellectual delay when they arrived in Britain. However, most children adopted before six months had caught up with the control group by age four. This suggests that, like emotional development, damage to intellectual development from institutionalisation can be recovered provided adoption takes place before six months - the age when attachments typically form.
Evaluation
Strengths
Real-life application
Research on Romanian orphans has enhanced our understanding of institutionalisation effects, leading to improvements in childcare within institutions. For example, orphanages and children's homes now avoid having large numbers of caregivers for each child. Instead, they ensure a much smaller number of people, perhaps only one or two, play a central role for each child. This person becomes a key worker, helping children develop normal attachments and avoid disinhibited attachment. This demonstrates the immense practical value of such research.
Fewer extraneous variables than other orphan studies
Previous orphan studies often involved children who had experienced loss or trauma before institutionalisation, such as neglect, abuse or bereavement. These experiences created confounding participant variables that made it difficult to isolate the effects of institutionalisation. Romanian orphan studies have been able to study institutionalisation with fewer confounding variables, increasing the internal validity of findings.
Weaknesses
The Romanian orphanages were not typical
Although valuable data emerged from Romanian orphan studies, conditions were so poor that results may not apply to understanding better quality institutional care or other situations involving childhood deprivation. Romanian orphanages had particularly poor standards of care, especially regarding relationship formation with children, and extremely low levels of intellectual stimulation. The unusual situational variables mean these studies may lack generalisability.
Ethical issues
One methodological issue with Rutter's ERA project concerns that children were not randomly assigned to conditions. Researchers did not interfere with the adoption process, meaning children adopted early may have been more sociable ones - a confounding variable.
To address this, the Bucharest Early Intervention project used random allocation, where Romanian orphans were randomly allocated to institutional care or fostering. Whilst methodologically superior as it removes confounding variables about which children are chosen, this raises serious ethical issues as some children who could have been fostered had this opportunity removed, potentially causing harm.
The long-term effects are not yet clear
Studies have followed fostered and adopted orphans into their mid-teens and found lasting effects of early experience, particularly for those adopted late. However, it remains too early to determine whether children suffered short-term or long-term effects with certainty. Children who spent longer in institutions and currently show intellectual delays or attachment difficulties may still 'catch up' as adults. Conversely, early-adopted children who appear unaffected now may experience emotional problems in adulthood. Any conclusions must remain tentative until participants have been followed throughout their entire lives.
Key Points to Remember:
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Critical period: Children adopted before 6 months showed near-normal development, whilst those adopted later displayed lasting effects of institutionalisation
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Disinhibited attachment: A key effect of institutionalisation involving over-friendly behaviour towards strangers, affecting 44% of institutionalised children versus 20% of controls
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Key worker system: Research led to practical improvements in childcare, with institutions now providing fewer, more consistent caregivers to help children form secure attachments
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Methodological advantages: Romanian studies had fewer confounding variables than previous orphan research, though ethical concerns arise with random allocation to conditions
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Recovery potential: Good care can compensate for early institutional deprivation if provided before the critical 6-month period when attachments typically form