Risk and Resilience in the Developmental Pathways of Adolescents Growing Up in Childcare Institution

This paper describes the findings of a research comparing 100 Romanian adolescents (aged 12-16) who lived for several years in institutional childcare with 100 adolescents who lived with their two-parent families. The effect of type of rearing (in institution/with parental family) on adolescents’ development was explored in respect of: attachment to adult figures and peers, emotional and behavioural strengths and difficulties, intellectual development and school performance.
Variations in adolescents’ outcomes within the institutional care group were considered in relation to a series of variables that reflect different types of possible mediating risk and protective factors, related to experiences before, during and after admission into care.
The results of the present study are compared with the results from recent research on Romanian children adopted abroad and discussed in the light of their implication for cross national research, policy and practice.