developmental project by Hannah

infant's psychosocial development

hannahfellig — 2023-05-08 13:16:22 UTC

UNDERSTANDING ATTACHMENT PATTERNS AMONG ORPHANS IN RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES IN NEW DELHI, INDIA

hannahfellig — 2023-05-08 13:28:55 UTC

Thakkar et al. 2015

INTRO:

hannahfellig — 2023-05-08 13:31:37 UTC

why is attachment an important factor in the care and wellbeing of orphaned children?

What will this paper discuss?

hannahfellig — 2023-05-08 13:34:57 UTC

Using data from research conducted among orphans in New Delhi, India, we will explore attachment relationships among 89 children across 11 group foster care homes. We will see how orphans have formed with non-parental figures, and in many cases, non-adults.

What is attachment theory?

hannahfellig — 2023-05-08 13:46:40 UTC

It is based on an infant’s bond with their caregiver when the infant is experiencing a negative state such as when they are hurt, separated from their caregiver, or perceiving a threat, as a template for future relationships. It predicts and helps us understand future relationships.

it is easy to see how orphans are more likely to demonstrate anxious or avoidant attachment concerning any relationship they form thereafter being abandoned or given up in early childhood or infancy.

hannahfellig — 2023-05-08 13:50:08 UTC

one study shows how orphans living within an orphanage care system are more likely to demonstrate aberrant behaviors that can be classified under the clinical syndrome of Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). (Zeanah et al., 2005)

INTRO TO THE EXPERIMENT:

hannahfellig — 2023-05-08 13:59:51 UTC

The UdayanGhar Programme in India began in 1994 to provide group foster care homes for orphaned and abandoned children. The program uses a residential care model that is smaller than traditional orphanages and includes a mentor-mother system to provide stability and support for the children. This system allows children to form close relationships with their peers, and the culture of interdependent self in India also promotes attachment. Understanding the attachment styles of Udayan children is crucial for the institution's mental care department in identifying general attachment trends and identifying children who might have serious attachment disorders.

Results for The Randolph Attachment Disorder Questionnaire

livnoakramer — 2023-05-08 14:09:18 UTC

A study involving childern aged younger than 9
The mean for the RAD-Q was 32 and a standard deviation of 17
Four children demonstrated normal attachment patterns
- With a scores less than 65
Four children indicated mild attachment deficiency
- With scores between 65 and 75
Two children demonstrated moderate attachment deficiency
- With scores between 76 and 89
No children demonstrated severe attachment deficiency
- With scores higher than 90

Further analysis of RAD-Q

livnoakramer — 2023-05-08 14:09:58 UTC

The IPPA unlike the RAD-Q measures the normal attachment between each child and their primary guardian and friends.

This allows for comparisons across different groups, however there is no set normal so its only possible to do within group comparisons

Information on the next study

livnoakramer — 2023-05-08 14:10:45 UTC

In the next table there is three groups summarized two for caretakers and one for peers

The mentor mothers and caregivers are both considered primary caretakers in the Udayan Care
This allowed the children to choose which one they wanted to think about when responding to the questions
- They used a two tail hypothesis test for difference in means between two of the given groups at a time
- P value of 0.05 was chosen and anything lower than that indicating that the scores from the two groups are not statistically similar

mentor mothers versus caregivers

hannahfellig — 2023-05-08 14:12:42 UTC

Primary guardians, mentor mothers, and caregivers in udayan care
Said to choose who they perceived as there primary caregiver
- 40 - mentor mother
- 35 - caregiver
Difference in means of scores for the two groups - 5.5
- In a two tailed hypothesis test, there was a difference
  - P-value < 0.05

adults vs. peers

hannahfellig — 2023-05-08 14:13:41 UTC

Comparison between caretakers and the children in the peer group
- Took the info from the data above and analyzed it to compare caretakers vs peers
There was a greater difference in scores when comparing the peers and adults vs when comparing the two types of caretakers separately
- Difference in means 8.9
  - The hypothesis test shows means to be significantly different
  - P-value < 0.05

mentor mothers versus peers

hannahfellig — 2023-05-08 14:14:26 UTC

Wanted to see if the caretaker groups that had higher scored would be similar to the peer group
- Previously, the mentor mothers had a higher score than the caregivers in analysis one
The difference in means of scores for mentor mothers and peers was 6.4
- A hypothesis test for difference in means prove differences
- P-value < 0.05

Two main findings:

orlashak — 2023-05-08 14:20:32 UTC

1) the orphans in the residential homes tend to show a higher sense of attachment with their peers, compared to mentor mothers or caregivers
2) the children who self-nominated mentor mothers as their primary guardian display a greater attachment to the mentor mothers than those who nominated caregivers

1) There are many indicators of why children in these homes tend to attach themselves more to their peers:

orlashak — 2023-05-08 14:22:22 UTC

They spend more time with their peers, as the mentor mothers and caretakers do not have enough time to give the children one-on-one time
Early exposure to trauma (like abandonment or abuse) can make it harder for a child to bond with adults

2) Many of the children feel a stronger sense of attachment to the mentor mother than to their caregivers, even though they spend more time with their caregivers:

orlashak — 2023-05-08 14:23:11 UTC

This could be because of the mentor's mother's role and background. Many of the caregivers come from the same background as the children, whereas the mentor mothers are higher in status. This could lead the children to feel as the mentor mothers will be a more stable person in their life

Contrary to Western understanding...

orlashak — 2023-05-08 14:24:59 UTC

Contrary to the Western understanding of childhood attachment, this study shows that these children have a stronger attachment to non-adult, non-parental figures. Therefore it’s important to understand that the Western way we look at attachment in children is not “one size fits all,” as factors such as non-traditional upbringings, income, and cultural differences can play a huge role

Participants

sheilagoldberg1 — 2023-05-10 21:40:49 UTC

A study was conducted on children living in 11 homes in Delhi under the care of UdayanCare. The researchers created a random sample of 89 children out of the total 143 children based on certain characteristics. They ensured an equal distribution of children across three age categories, including all children in the youngest age group (<9 years). Additionally, the researchers aimed to balance the number of boys and girls in the sample, as Udayan Care had more girls than boys. They selected a higher proportion of boys to achieve this balance. Roughly half of the children from each home were included in the final sample. The study's participants were assigned ID codes to protect their confidentiality, and a summary of the number of participants, their genders, and age groups is provided in Table 1.

Confidentiality

sheilagoldberg1 — 2023-05-10 21:41:16 UTC

Information gathered during the interviews was recorded on paper copies of the measures, without audio or video recordings. Participants’ responses to measures only contained the ID number. A separate code sheet was created that connected participant name with the ID number created for each participant. This code sheet was stored in a password protected excel file that was only available to the team members on encrypted personal computers. The only documents with participant identifiers were consent forms and the master code file. The participant survey responses and consent forms remained secured in a locked cabinet. The caretaker survey responses remained safe in Udayan care offices and the social workers who collaborated on data collection had been trained and instructed on the necessity for confidentiality over the full duration of the project. While data were being gathered and stored, interview sheets were kept separated from the consent forms and other identifiable information, so as to help ensure anonymity of participants. Once all data were entered, all response sheets were burned. Informed consents were brought back to Duke University in Durham, North Carolina to keep on file.

Measures

sheilagoldberg1 — 2023-05-10 21:41:48 UTC

The study used the Inventory of Peer and Parent Attachment-Revised (IPPA) to assess attachment in children aged 10 years and above. The children themselves answered questions about their relationships with peers and caregivers. Total scores for parent and peer attachment were calculated by summing the trust and communication subscales and subtracting the alienation subscale score. Higher scores indicated better perceived attachment. It is worth noting that the children were allowed to choose a figure representing their "parent" from among their caretakers or mentor mothers. For children aged 4-9, the Randolph test of attachment disorder was used instead of the IPPA, as it had not been validated for young children. Caregivers answered questions about each child, and scores ranged from 0 to 120. Unlike the IPPA, a higher Randolph score indicated a more abnormal attachment pattern. Due to the different scoring systems, direct comparison of results between the two measures was not feasible.

sheilagoldberg1 — 2023-05-10 21:43:12 UTC