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Time use in Russian Baby Homes
L G Tirella1, W Chan, S A Cermak
1International Adoption Clinic, New England Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA. ltirella@tufts-nemc.org
Insights
Children in Russian Baby Homes spend most of their time alone, with limited opportunities for interactive play. Institutional care routines restrict child-directed activities and social interactions, impacting development.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Institutional Care Studies
- Pediatric Psychology
Background:
- Investigated time use patterns of children in Russian Baby Homes.
- Documented opportunities and experiences during institutional care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the daily time allocation of children in institutional settings.
- To identify factors influencing child engagement and interaction within Baby Homes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized time-use spot observation methodology with 138 children (1 month to 4 years).
- Trained Baby Home specialists to conduct observations every 10 minutes for 5 hours per child.
- Coded child's companion, adult role, activity, location, and vocalizations, gathering over 4000 data points.
Main Results:
- Children spent 50% of their time alone, 27% with a caregiver, and 15% with another adult.
- Meaningful play increased with age (infants 10% to pre-schoolers 36%), while non-purposeful activity decreased.
- Adult interaction with children was limited, with adults speaking to children in only 12% of observations.
Conclusions:
- Routinized schedules and care in Baby Homes limit child-directed and interactive play.
- Despite group living, children exhibit limited vocalizations and social interactions.
- Institutional care appears to restrict developmental opportunities for children.
Background:
We investigated time use of Russian children residing in Baby Homes to document their opportunities and experiences during institutional care.
Methods:
Time use of 138 non-special needs, randomly selected children (65 female vs. 73 male, age 1 month to 4 years) in Baby Homes in Murmansk, Russia, was analysed. Baby Home specialists were trained in time-use spot observation methodology. Each child was observed every 10 min for 5 h (31 observations/child; >4000 data points). At each observation, we coded: who the child was with, adult role, what the child was doing, location and vocalizations.
Results:
Children spent 50% of their time alone, 27% with a caregiver, 15% with another adult, and 7% with another child. Infants spent significantly more time alone (65%) than toddlers (43%) or pre-schoolers (46%) [F(2,133) = 13.05, P < 0.0001]. Caregivers supervised children (58%), led group activities (16%), cared for individuals (14%), or were absent from the room (12%). Children spent the most time (32%) in activities of daily living; remaining time was spent in meaningful play (27%), non-purposeful activity (16%) or sleep (18%). The percentage of time spent in meaningful play significantly increased across age groups [infants 10%, toddlers 25%, pre-schoolers 36%, F(2,133) = 26.9, P < 0.001]. Infants (23%) and toddlers (20%) spent significantly more time than the older group (10%) in non-purposeful activity [F(2,133) = 26.9, P < 0.001]. In 12% of observations, an adult was speaking to the child, in 10% to the group, and <1% to another adult. Child vocalizations varied by age: infants 42% of observations, toddlers 56%, and pre-schoolers 59%. Older children directed more vocalizations to adults than younger children [F(2,133) = 24.47, P < 0.001].
Conclusion:
Time use of children residing in Baby Homes is limited by routinized schedules and care, at the expense of child-directed or interactive play with adults. Despite close proximity and living in group care, children's vocalizations and interactions with others are limited.
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