Romanian Orphan Studies and Institutional Care

The fall of the Romanian communist regime in 1989 revealed thousands of children living in severely deprived conditions in state-run orphanages. Many of these children had experienced extreme privation — they had never formed any attachment bond and had received minimal physical, emotional, or intellectual stimulation. The adoption of many of these children by families in the UK and other countries provided a unique natural experiment to investigate the effects of early institutional deprivation and the extent to which recovery is possible.

Key Definition: Institutional care refers to the raising of children in residential settings (such as orphanages) rather than in family homes. Institutionalised children often experience privation — the absence of any attachment bond — as well as physical and cognitive deprivation.

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The English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) Study

The most important longitudinal study of Romanian orphans is Rutter's English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) study. This began in 1998 and has followed the children into adulthood.

Procedure