The “Romanian Orphans” Adopted Internationally: Reflections on Research Studies Over the Past Decade

The paper reviews the research concerning the development of Romanian children adopted abroad since 1990 in order to consider the validity of the evidence presented. Areas of methodological, conceptual and ethical limitations are highlighted, supported by evidence from studies on Romanian children still living in institutions. For example, the circumstances of children before they entered care in Romania have to be taken into account when assessing the individual differences in outcomes after adoption and when exploring the developmental predictors. Such potential confounding factors need to be acknowledged when considering the conclusions of the studies on Romanian children adopted abroad over the past 15 years.