Attachment

Attachment

1. Romanian orphans

   • Institutionalisation
     • Disinhibited attachment
       • Child is equally friendly to people they know and to strangers
     • Damage to intellectual development
       • Institutionalised children show signs of mental retardation, not as pronounced if child is adopted before 6 months of age
   • Key study
     • Rutter et al, English and Romanian adoptee study
       • Researchers followed group of 165 Romanian orphans from poor conditions beong adopted in Britain
         • Longitudinal study
         • Tested the extent that good care can make up for poor experiences in institutions
           • Physical, cognitive and emotional development assessed at 4, 6, 11 and 15
           • Also followed a control group of 52 British children
           • Findings and conclusions
             • Half the orphans showed retardation when they came to UK