Adopted kids see long-lasting effects of Romanian orphanages
LONDON — Romanian children adopted from overcrowded orphanages in the 1990s were more likely to suffer psychological problems as adults compared to other children taken in by British families, according to a decades-long study.
Doctors say the findings suggest there is a critical window when young brains develop that may determine someone’s future mental health, and that some problems might not be fixable later.
“These kids came to the U.K. in desperate conditions, very malnourished and very stunted in growth,” said Edmund Sonuga-Barke of the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, the study’s lead author. “Despite the families’ absolute investment in the children, a good proportion of them still have significant problems as adults.”
The researchers tracked more than 160 Romanian infants to 3-year-olds adopted by British families in the 1990s. The children were checked periodically with questionnaires, IQ tests and interviews, with the latest assessment done at ages 22 to 25.