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Inattention/Overactivity Following Early Severe Institutional Deprivation: Presentation and Associations in Early Adolescence

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Abstract

The current study examined the persistence and phenotypic presentation of inattention/overactivity (I/O) into early adolescence, in a sample of institution reared (IR) children adopted from Romania before the age of 43 months. Total sample comprised 144 IR and 21 non-IR Romanian adoptees, and a comparison group of 52 within-UK adoptees, assessed at ages 6 and 11 years. I/O was rated using Rutter Scales completed by parents and teachers. I/O continued to be strongly associated with institutional deprivation, with continuities between ages 6 and 11 outcomes. There were higher rates of deprivation-related I/O in boys than girls, and I/O was strongly associated with conduct problems, disinhibited attachment and executive function but not IQ more generally, independently of gender. Deprivation-related I/O shares many common features with ADHD, despite its different etiology and putative developmental mechanisms. I/O is a persistent domain of impairment following early institutional deprivation of 6 months or more, suggesting there may be a possible pathway to impairment through some form of neuro-developmental programming during critical periods of early development.

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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. 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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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Developmental Brain-Behaviour Unit, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    Suzanne E. Stevens & Edmund J. S. Sonuga-Barke

  2. MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK

    Suzanne E. Stevens, Edmund J. S. Sonuga-Barke, Jana M. Kreppner, Celia Beckett, Jenny Castle, Emma Colvert, Christine Groothues, Amanda Hawkins & Michael Rutter

  3. Child Study Center, New York University, New York, NY, USA

    Edmund J. S. Sonuga-Barke

  4. SGDP Centre, Box PO.80, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK

    Suzanne E. Stevens

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Appendix

Appendix

Table 3 Items used to assess I/O and conduct difficulties: the Revised Rutter Parent and Teacher Scales for School-age Children (Hogg et al. 1997) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman 1999)
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Stevens, S.E., Sonuga-Barke, E.J.S., Kreppner, J.M. et al. Inattention/Overactivity Following Early Severe Institutional Deprivation: Presentation and Associations in Early Adolescence. J Abnorm Child Psychol 36, 385–398 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9185-5

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