The effects of institutionalisation - Rutter

What type of study did Rutter complete?

Longitudinal

How many orphans did the study use?

165

Where were the orphans from?

Romania

Where were the orphans adopted?

UK

At what ages were the orphans assessed?

4, 6, 11, 15 years old

What three things were the orphans assessed for?

• Height

• IQ

• Head circumference

What fraction of the Romanian orphans had mental retardation at the start of the study?

Half

What name is given to the variations in rates of recovery that were found at 11 years?

Differential

What age does adoption need to occur by to overcome some of the negative effects of institutionalisation?

6 months

Differences remained at what age?

16 years old

What is the effect of institutionalisation that sees children being attention seeking and forming strong attachments even with strangers?

Disinhibited attachment

Which attachment type did institutionalised children commonly show?

Disorganised

What term refers to a child having impaired relationships when older due to a lack of sensitive responsiveness in childhood?

Reactive detachment disorder

What effect of institutionalisation refers to low IQ?

Intellectual deficits/mental retardation

Which study besides Rutter’s showed that institutionalised children experience more negative outcomes than a control group of non-institutionalised children?

Zeenah’s Bucharest Early Intervention Project

How many institutionalised children were used in Zeenah’s BEI?

95

What technique was used by Zeenah to assess the attachment type of the children?

Strange situation

What was the difference in secure attachment values between institutionalised and non-institutionalised children in Zeenah’s study?

74% versus 19%

How many times more likely were institutionalised children to have disinhibited attachments in Zeenah’s BEI than a control group?

2.2 (44% versus <20%)

How was physical growth affected by institutionalisation?

Restricted

How does Rutter’s work have real world implications in terms of adoption?

• Mothers who give a baby up for adoption do so within the first week of birth

• So children can form a secure attachment with their adoptive parents within Bowlby’s critical period (first 2.5 years)

How does Rutter’s work have real world implications in terms of institutions?

More key workers

What other factor could explain why certain children were adopted earlier and therefore why they showed less negative outcomes?

Temperament of child or intelligence levels

What did institutions not have that could have affected intellectual development?

Educational and stimulating resources

Who said that a stimulating environment is needed for learning?

Piaget

Why do we not yet know the long-term effects of institutionalisation?

Still too early to know if the effects will disappear in time