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Effects of Institutionalisation - Coggle Diagram
Effects of Institutionalisation
Evaluation
Individual differences - some children are not as strongly affected as others so it may not be true that all children who are institutionalised are unable to recover. This could be because some children receive special attention so can cope better.
Real-life application - research by Bowlby and Robertson (maternal deprivation) changed the way children are looked after in hospital. Most babies are now adopted within the first few weeks and research shows they are as securely attached as biological children.
Longitudinal study - strength, followed children over a long period of time, show long-term effects and that they may disappear over time which would not be seen in shorter studies.
Deprivation is only one factor - confounding variables, limitation, Romanian orphans faced more than just emotional deprivation, physical conditions were appalling and impacted health.
Slower development - In ERA , at 11 years there were less disinhibited attachments, may just need more time to learn to cope, supported by Le Mare and Audet , physical development improved by age 11.
Romanian Orphan Study
Found at time of adoption, Romanian orphans lagged behind British counterparts in physical, cognitive and social development.
However, found by age 4, some Romanian children caught up to their British counterparts, especially if adopted before 6 months old. Suggests, long-term consequences less sever than thought if they could make attachments, but severe if they could not.
Romanian orphans were smaller, weighed less and cognitively delayed. Many orphans adopted after 6 months showed disinhibited attachment style.
Rutter (2010) - studied 165 Romanian children who were institutionalised.
111 adopted to the UK before the age of 2. 54 adopted by the age of 4.
Adoptees tested at regular intervals (aged 4, 6, 11, 15) to assess physical, cognitive and social development. Information also came from parents and teachers before being compared to control group of 52 British adoptees before the age of 6 months.
Consequences
There is no attachment figure, they are bored, less sociable, more aggressive, and less intelligent as they have little learning, they are not well cared for and have less interactions.
Physical underdevelopment - Gardner 1972 - children are usually small, lack of emotional care rather than poor nourishment can cause deprivation dwarfism.
Intellectual under functioning - Skodak and Skeels - cognitive development is also affected by emotional deprivation.
Disinhibited attachment - form of insecure attachment, children don't discriminate between people when choosing attachment figures, can treat strangers with inappropriate familiarity, may be attention seeking.
Poor parenting - Quinton 1984 - supports Harlow's study, compared 50 women raised in institutions to 50 control women. In their 20s it was found ex-institutional women had difficulty acting as parents so more of their children spent time in care.
Other Studies
Le Mare and Audet (2006) - longitudinal study of 36 Romanian orphans adopted into Canada. They were physically smaller compared to control group at 4.5 years. Difference had disappeared by 10.5 years. Same for physical health. Suggests it is possible to recover from effects.
Zeanah et al (2005) - 136 Romanian children who spent average of 90% of their lives in institution to control group of Romanian children who never spent time in an institution. Children were aged 12 to 31 months, assessed using strange situation. Institutionalised children showed signs of disinhibited attachment.