The Bucharest Early Intervention Project

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the long term effects of early intervention (placement into foster care) on physical, cognitive, social and brain development and psychiatric symptomatology in previously institutionalized children.

Conditions

• Cognitive Ability, General
• Psychiatric and/or Mood Disorders
• Brain Function
• Social Cognition
• Health Behavior
• Risk-Taking
• Executive Function

Interventions

OTHER

Foster Care Placement

A group of children living in institutions in Bucharest, Romania was randomly assigned to placement in foster care. Foster parents were recruited, consented to background checks, and trained in Romanian. Before placement, foster parents visited their children to begin developing a relationship with the child. Hired foster parents were supported and monitored by project social workers. Foster parents in the BEIP network received frequent visits from the social workers, with visits occurring weekly for several months after placement of the child, then biweekly and later monthly. Foster parents were invited to participate in a support group organized by social workers. Project social workers consulted weekly with US staff experienced in dealing with young children in foster care.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Tulane University Health Sciences Center

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Maryland

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Minnesota

  collaborator OTHER

• Temple University

  collaborator OTHER

• Duke University

  collaborator OTHER

• MacArthur Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  collaborator NIH

• Vanderbilt University

  collaborator OTHER

• Harvard University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Toronto

  collaborator OTHER

• Charles Alexander Nelson III

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Charles A Nelson, Ph.D. · Children's Hospital Boston/Harvard University

• Nathan A. Fox, Ph.D. · University of Maryland

• Charles H. Zeanah, M.D. · Tulane University Health Sciences Center

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

21 Years

Max Age

24 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2000-09-30

Primary Completion

2027-03-31

Completion

2027-03-31

Countries

• Romania

Study Locations