title: The Effects of Early Institutionalization and Foster Care Intervention on Children's Social Behaviors at Age 8.
abstract: The present study compared the social behaviors of 8-year-old previously institutionalized Romanian children from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP) in two groups: 1) children randomized to foster care homes (FCG), and 2) children randomized to care as usual (remaining in institutions) (CAUG). Children were observed interacting with an age and gender-matched unfamiliar, non-institutionalized peer from the community (NIG) during six interactive tasks, and their behavior was coded for speech reticence, social engagement, task orientation, social withdrawal, and conversational competence. Group comparisons revealed that FCG children were rated as significantly less reticent during a speech task than CAUG children. For CAUG children, longer time spent in institutional care was related to greater speech reticence and lower social engagement. Using an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, CAUG children's behaviors, but not FCG, were found to influence the behavior of unfamiliar peers. These findings are the first to characterize institutionalized children's observed social behaviors towards new peers during middle childhood and highlight the positive effects of foster care intervention in the social domain.
authors: University of British Columbia.
authors: Alisa N
authors: AN
authors: Almas
authors: University of Maryland.
authors: Kathryn A
authors: KA
authors: Degnan
authors: University of Maryland.
authors: Olga L
authors: OL
authors: Walker
authors: Bucharest University.
authors: Anca
authors: A
authors: Radulescu
authors: Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School ; Harvard Center on the Developing Child.
authors: Charles A
authors: CA
authors: Nelson
authors: Tulane University School of Medicine.
authors: Charles H
authors: CH
authors: Zeanah
authors: University of Maryland.
authors: Nathan A
authors: NA
authors: Fox
keywords: Foster Care; Institutionalization; Intervention; Social Behavior