Does Nurturance Overcome Deprivation in the Preschool Years?

Deleterious effects of early deprivation on behavioral and cognitive development in children are well known (see Biol Psychiatry 2017 Feb 26; [e-pub]). To examine whether these effects persist into adulthood, researchers examined adoptees in young adulthood (ages 22–25): 50 individuals from Romania adopted at <6 months, 72 adopted at ages 6 to 42 months, and 39 U.K. adoptees. Children in Romanian institutions experienced poor hygiene, nonaffectionate caretakers, little stimulation, and insufficient food. All children were adopted into well-functioning U.K. homes.

At ages 6, 11, and 15 years, later Romanian adoptees had manifested higher levels of autistic, inattentive, hyperactive, and overfriendly behaviors and were more likely to have IQs …