Specificity and heterogeneity in children's responses to profound institutional privation
Researchers compared seven areas of functioning at ages four and six in 165 Romanian adoptees and 52 UK domestic adoptees. Institutional deprivation was associated with attachment-related behaviours, attention and overactivity problems, autistic-like features and cognitive impairment. Emotional difficulties, peer problems and conduct problems did not show the same association at these ages. Outcomes varied, including children with longer institutional exposure who showed no measured impairment.
Limitations: Associations were assessed in childhood and should not be assumed to remain unchanged later in life. This cohort experienced extreme early institutional deprivation and does not represent adoptees generally. Participants overlap with other ERA publications.
- Research type
- Longitudinal comparative cohort study
- Source reviewed
- Abstract
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Age group
- Children
Study context and review
Age group as recorded: Children
Adoption context: Intercountry adoption from Romanian institutions; UK domestic-adoption comparison
Programme: English and Romanian Adoptees Study
Institutional context: No relationship identified in the material checked
No adoption-sector organisational relationship identified in the bibliographic material screened. This is not confirmation of institutional independence; affiliations, funding and conflicts were not comprehensively audited.
Bibliographic screening. Bibliographic relationships are not a bias or safety rating.
Topics: ADHD, attachment, autism, cognitive development, institutional care, institutional deprivation, intercountry adoption, longitudinal, UK research
Review scope: Source checked: Abstract. This does not imply full-text or independent human verification.
Country as recorded: United Kingdom; Romania (origin)
- Funding
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Commissioner
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Funder role
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Declared conflicts
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Recruitment
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Adoptee involvement
- Not yet checked for this entry
Entry: study_1076ee14bdc258e1