1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« By presenting detailed case reports of seven orphans who were raised in Quebec institutions from birth and were subsequently followed through their adulthood, the authors have captured the multifaceted consequences of early institutional deprivation and trauma expressed over a lifetime. » (p. 314)

Questions/Hypothèses :
« How influential are the child’s innate strengths, traumas, and other adverse experiences, and the adults who intervene during childhood as precursors to the chapters of late adulthood? » (p. 314)

2. Méthode

Types de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

« This body of research illustrates the causal complexity factoring into the expression of PTSD. Not only is it possible to exhibit PTSD symptoms without immediate exposure to trauma, one may show effects from interactions with attachment figures who were traumatized and had PTSD themselves. Symptoms in children may correlate with severity of PTSD symptoms in their adult caregivers, alluding to the mother’s induction of anxiety in her child that Anna Freud noted long ago. […]. » (p. 319)
« The plasticity of the child’s developing brain imposes exquisite vulnerability to early trauma and neglect. However, this plasticity also holds promise that these children are biologically primed to benefit significantly from meaningful improvements in the structure and quality of their lives. As further research is devoted to this long-neglected area of institutional care, the resulting knowledge will inform social policy to ensure that the long-term potential of these children is preserved—for their sake and for ours as well. » (p. 320)