Relationship of Indicators of Caregiver-Child Interaction with the Child's Age and Length of Stay in a Baby Home and Foster Families

According to data from scientific literature, children who experience living in child institutions (or baby homes) with social and emotional deprivation are significantly behind their peers in development, but after moving to a foster family (FF), this gap can lessen. Further published information shows, there is evidence that age of a child and time characteristics in the form of length of stay in an institution or in family play a significant role in “catching up”. The aim of this research was to study the relationship of the age of children, as well as length of stay in the baby home (BH) and in a FF with indicators of caregiver-child interaction at both stages (1) in the BH before transfer to post-institutional care and (2) after transfer to FF. The study involved 21 children with experience of institutionalization (the average age of children at the assessment in the BH was 21.6 ± 12.7 months; at the foster families stage was 49.8 ± 16.7 months) and their caregivers (personnel of BH and substitute parents in FF). The quality of caregiver-child interaction was studied using the PCERA (The Parent - Child Early Relational Assessment) method based on analysis of video recordings of caregiver-child free play. The results obtained in the BH before transfer to post-institutional care indicate the presence of a positive relationship between individual caregiver and child indicators of interaction, as well as the overall total indicator of interaction with the age of children at the time of assessment. The indicator of interaction on the part of children "Positive emotions, eye contact" is associated with the age at which children entered the BH. After the transition of children to FF, most of the indicators on the part of children are associated with the age at which they entered the BH, while “Emotional stability, absence of negative affect, compliance” shown by the children is associated with the age of transition to FF. The data obtained in the work are discussed from the point of view of the influence of the social and emotional experience of children on the indicators of their interaction with the caregivers.