Foster Care Leads to Sustained Cognitive Gains following Severe Early Deprivation

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Citation

Humphreys, Kathryn L.; King, Lucy S.; Guyon-Harris, Katherine L.; Sheridan, Margaret A.; McLaughlin, Katie A.; Radulescu, Anca; Nelson, Charles A.; Fox, Nathan A.; & Zeanah, Charles H. (2022). Foster Care Leads to Sustained Cognitive Gains following Severe Early Deprivation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(38), e2119318119. PMCID: PMC9499516

Abstract

This study examined longitudinal data from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, a randomized controlled trial of foster care as an alternative to institutional care following exposure to severe psychosocial deprivation. We report data from 135 participants assessed in early adulthood (age 18 y). We find that 16 y after randomization occurred, those who had been randomized to high-quality foster care had significantly higher IQ scores (9 points, 0.6 SD) than those randomized to care as usual. Mediation analyses provide evidence that the causal effect of the intervention on cognitive ability in early adulthood could be explained, in part, by higher-quality caregiving and attachment security. These findings indicate that early investment in family care as an alternative to institutional care leads to sustained gains in cognitive ability. Fostering caregiving relationships is a likely mechanism of the intervention. In addition, exploratory analyses indicate that stable placements throughout childhood are associated with the greatest long-term gains in cognitive ability. Whether early interventions for infants and young children lead to lasting change has significant implications for decisions to invest in programs aimed at improving children's developmental outcomes.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2119318119

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2022

Journal Title

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Author(s)

Humphreys, Kathryn L.
King, Lucy S.
Guyon-Harris, Katherine L.
Sheridan, Margaret A.
McLaughlin, Katie A.
Radulescu, Anca
Nelson, Charles A.
Fox, Nathan A.
Zeanah, Charles H.

Article Type

Regular

PMCID

PMC9499516

Data Set/Study

Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP)

Continent/Country

Romania

ORCiD

Sheridan - 0000-0002-8909-7501