Abstract
The relationship between severe early institutional deprivation and scholastic attainment at age 11 in 127 children (68 girls and 59 boys) adopted from institutions in Romania was compared to the attainment of 49 children (17 girls and 32 boys) adopted within the UK from a non-institutional background. Overall, children adopted from Romania had significantly lower attainment scores than those adopted within the UK; the children within the Romanian sample who had spent 6 months or more in an institution had significantly lower attainment scores than those who had spent less than 6 months in an institution, but there was no additional risk of low attainment associated with longer institutional care after 6 months. The lower scholastic attainment in the children adopted from Romanian institutions, as compared with domestic adoptees, was mediated by IQ, and to a lesser degree, inattention/overactivity. When these factors were taken into account, only small between-group differences in attainment remained.
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Acknowledgements
We are most grateful to all the families who have generously given their time to participating in this study, and whose comments and suggestions have been very helpful in relation to the interpretation of findings. The data collection phase of the study was supported by grants from the Helmut Horten Foundation and the UK Department of Health. Ongoing support is provided by grants from the Department of Health, the Nuffield Foundation and the Jacobs Foundation. Barbara Maughan is supported by the British Medical Research Council. We are glad to express our thanks to our external Advisory Group, whose input has been invaluable. The views expressed in this article are ours and do not necessarily represent those of the funders.
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Beckett, C., Maughan, B., Rutter, M. et al. Scholastic Attainment Following Severe Early Institutional Deprivation: A Study of Children Adopted from Romania. J Abnorm Child Psychol 35, 1063–1073 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9155-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9155-y