Adoptees' responses to separation from, and reunion with, their adoptive parent at age 4 years is associated with long-term persistence of autism symptoms following early severe institutional deprivation
Researchers related attachment responses at age four in 97 Romanian adoptees and 49 UK adoptees to symptoms followed into young adulthood. In the more deprived group, an insecure/other attachment classification was associated with more persistent autism symptoms. The association weakened after accounting for early IQ, suggesting a possible marker rather than proof of a causal attachment effect.
Limitations: Attachment classification is not evidence that adoptive parenting caused autism. Statistical adjustment reduced the association. Extreme early institutional deprivation; results do not represent adoptees generally. Participants overlap with other ERA publications.
- Research type
- Longitudinal cohort analysis
- Source reviewed
- Abstract
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Age group
- Children / Adolescents / Adults
Study context and review
Age group as recorded: Children; adolescents; adults
Adoption context: Intercountry adoption after Romanian institutional care; UK comparison groups
Programme: English and Romanian Adoptees Study
Institutional context: No relationship identified in the material checked
No adoption-sector organisational relationship identified in indexed metadata reviewed. Affiliations, funding and conflicts have not been comprehensively audited; this does not confirm institutional independence.
Bibliographic screening. Bibliographic relationships are not a bias or safety rating.
Topics: attachment, autism, cognitive development
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_da075e9d38f2a61d