Profound social deprivation produces permanent imprint

Authors’ conclusions: despite the resilience demonstrated by some of the adopted children and the remission of problems in the adult age in some cases, prolonged early deprivation was associated with adverse effects on the long term on the wellness of the studied children and this situation was not susceptible to improvement even after years of adequate care and support by adopting families.

Reviewers’ commentary: this is a well-designed study with a control group that evaluates the impact of prolonged deprivation in infancy on posterior development. The conclusions indicate that the long-term problems can become permanent despite the inclusion in a normal familial environment.