TY - JOUR

T1 - Characteristics of children, caregivers, and orphanages for young children in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

AU - St Petersburg USA Orphanage Res Te

AU - Muhamedrahimov, RJ

AU - Nikoforova, NV

AU - Palmov, OI

AU - Groark, CJ

AU - McCall, RB

AU - Fish, L

PY - 2005

Y1 - 2005

N2 - This report provides baseline information on conditions in orphanages in the Russian Federation. This information addresses three major limitations in the literature on the development of children residing in substandard orphanages and those adopted from such environments. First, although there is an assumption that early exposure to substandard orphanages is associated with a variety of developmental delays during and after residency, there are essentially no comprehensive, empirical descriptions of what these early environments are like. This paper provides such information on the orphanage system in the Russian Federation and on a sample of children from 0-4 years of age residing in three orphanages in St. Petersburg. Second, because the orphanage environment is typically globally deficient, it is difficult to discern causal variables in developmental delays. In this report we attempt to show that the most salient deficiencies are in the social-emotional environment. Third, there are few empirical descriptions in the literature of the birth circumstances and characteristics of children residing in orphanages which make it difficult to untangle the relative contributions of poor perinatal circumstances and the orphanage environment in accounting for developmental delays. The results of this study show that a larger than expected number of orphanage children have poor perinatal circumstances, and most fall far below the average local Russian norms on physical, cognitive and psychosocial development. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

AB - This report provides baseline information on conditions in orphanages in the Russian Federation. This information addresses three major limitations in the literature on the development of children residing in substandard orphanages and those adopted from such environments. First, although there is an assumption that early exposure to substandard orphanages is associated with a variety of developmental delays during and after residency, there are essentially no comprehensive, empirical descriptions of what these early environments are like. This paper provides such information on the orphanage system in the Russian Federation and on a sample of children from 0-4 years of age residing in three orphanages in St. Petersburg. Second, because the orphanage environment is typically globally deficient, it is difficult to discern causal variables in developmental delays. In this report we attempt to show that the most salient deficiencies are in the social-emotional environment. Third, there are few empirical descriptions in the literature of the birth circumstances and characteristics of children residing in orphanages which make it difficult to untangle the relative contributions of poor perinatal circumstances and the orphanage environment in accounting for developmental delays. The results of this study show that a larger than expected number of orphanage children have poor perinatal circumstances, and most fall far below the average local Russian norms on physical, cognitive and psychosocial development. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KW - characteristics of children

KW - Caregivers

KW - orphanages for young children in St. Petersburg

KW - Russian Federation

KW - COGNITIVE-DEVELOPMENT

KW - REARED INFANTS

KW - CARE

KW - ATTACHMENT

KW - INSTITUTIONALIZATION

KW - DEPRIVATION

KW - BEHAVIOR

KW - OUTCOMES

U2 - 10.1016/j.appdev.2005.06.002

DO - 10.1016/j.appdev.2005.06.002

M3 - статья

VL - 26

SP - 477

EP - 506

JO - Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

JF - Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

SN - 0193-3973

IS - 5

ER -