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Elevated rates of attention deficit and overactivity have been noted previously in samples of institution-reared children. This study examined the hypothesis that inattention/overactivity(I/O) might constitute a specific deprivation syndrome. One hundred and sixty five children adopted at varying ages (e.g., 0-42 months of age) into the UK following severe early deprivation were compared with 52 within-UK adoptees who did not suffer deprivation. The children were rated by teachers and parents on levels of I/O, conduct difficulties, and emotional difficulties using the Revised Rutter Scales. Data were collected at age 6 for the entire sample and at age 4 for the UK adoptees and for the subsample of Romanian children who entered the UK before the age of 2 years. Mean level analyses suggested a significant effect of duration of deprivation on I/O, but not on conduct or emotional difficulties. The effects of duration of deprivation were specific to I/O and were not accounted for by low birth weight, malnutrition, or cognitive impairment. Levels of I/O correlated with attachment disturbances. Furthermore, the effects of duration of deprivation on I/O did not attenuate over time. We conclude that I/O may well constitute an institutional deprivation syndrome, but that the type of attention deficit and overactivity exhibited by these children may present a different clinical picture from that of "ordinary" varieties of attention deficit disorder or hyperkinetic syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The sequelae of profound early privation are varied.Aims: To delineate the behavioural patterns that are specifically associated with institutional privation.Method: A group of 165 children adopted from Romania before the age of 42 months were compared at 4 years and 6 years with 52 non-deprived UK children adopted in infancy. Dysfunction was assessed for seven domains of functioning. The groups were compared on which, and how many, domains were impaired.Results: Attachment problems, inattention/overactivity, quasi-autistic features and cognitive impairment were associated with institutional privation, but emotional difficulties, poor peer relationships and conduct problems were not. Nevertheless, one-fifth of children who spent the longest time in institutions showed normal functioning.Conclusions: Attachment disorder behaviours, inattention/overactivity and quasi-autistic behaviour constitute institutional privation patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine attachment disturbances and disorder in a sample of children adopted into the U.K. following severe early privation and in a comparison sample of nondeprived, within-country, early-placed adoptees.Method: The subjects, 165 children adopted from Romania and 52 adoptees from the U.K., were assessed at age 6 years; longitudinal data (at ages 4 and 6 years) were available on the 111 Romanian adoptees placed in U.K. homes before 24 months of age and on all U.K. adoptees. Information on attachment disorder was derived from a semistructured interview with the parent; in addition, data on children's cognitive and social development were assessed using standardized assessments.Results: Analyses revealed a close association between duration of deprivation and severity of attachment disorder behaviors. In addition, attachment disorder behaviors were correlated with attentional and conduct problems and cognitive level but nonetheless appeared to index a distinct set of symptoms/behaviors. Finally, there was marked stability in individual differences in attachment disorder behaviors and little evidence of a mean decrease over this 2-year period.Conclusions: The findings offer construct validation for the attachment disorder construct and highlight clinical and conceptual questions that require further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of children reared in poor quality Romanian institutions provided a "natural experiment" to determine whether psychological privation is the cause of later deficits. Low IQ at six years was strongly related to the duration of institutional care, with malnutrition having a weaker effect. After taking both into account, there was an additional effect of a particularly marked lack of individualized care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]