Early experiences and attachment relationships of Greek infants raised in residential group care.
BACKGROUND
The attachment relationships of infants reared in residential group care from birth, and links between attachment quality and psychosocial development and caregiver sensitivity were studied, with 86 infants reared in group care and 41 infants reared in their own two-parent families who attended day-care centres.


METHODS
Attachment, cognitive development, temperament, and observed social behaviour of the two groups were studied, as was the quality of care by caregivers and mothers.


RESULTS
Sixty-six per cent of infants reared in residential group care showed disorganised attachment to their caregivers, compared with 25% of control infants; 24% of group care infants were securely attached, compared with 41% of control infants. The two groups differed in cognitive development, in temperament and observed social behaviour. Within the residential group care babies, those that were securely attached were observed to express more frequent positive affect and social behaviour, and to initiate more frequent interaction with their caregivers.


CONCLUSIONS
Residential care affected all aspects of the infants' development and was linked to a high rate of disorganised attachment.
Vorria
Panayiota
P
Department of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. zapa@hol.gr
Papaligoura
Zaira
Z
Dunn
Judy
J
van IJzendoorn
Marinus H
MH
Steele
Howard
H
Kontopoulou
Antigoni
A
Sarafidou
Yiasemi
Y
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D016352:Group Homes; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012919:Social Behavior; D013694:Temperament / Q000502:physiology