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The effects of foster care intervention on socially deprived institutionalized children’s attention and positive affect: results from the BEIP study
Author(s) -
Ghera Melissa M.,
Marshall Peter J.,
Fox Nathan A.,
Zeanah Charles H.,
Nelson Charles A.,
Smyke Anna T.,
Guthrie Donald
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01954.x
Subject(s) - affect (linguistics) , intervention (counseling) , foster care , psychology , randomized controlled trial , foster home care , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , medicine , suicide prevention , poison control , nursing , environmental health , surgery , communication
Background: We examined the effects of a foster care intervention on attention and emotion expression in socially deprived children in Romanian institutions. Methods: Institutionalized children were randomized to enter foster care or to remain under institutional care. Subsequently, the institutionalized and foster care groups, along with a community‐based comparison group, were evaluated on emotion tasks at 30 and 42 months of age. Behaviors reflecting positive and negative affect and attention were coded from videotapes. Results: Data indicated that at both age points, children who received the foster care intervention showed higher levels of attention and positive affect compared to children who remained institutionalized. Compared to the community sample, children in the foster care intervention showed higher levels of attention to the emotion‐eliciting tasks at 42 months of age. Conclusions: The results of this randomized trial demonstrate the impact of a family‐based intervention on the development of attention and positive affect.