Institutionalization and Its Relation to Processes Mediated by the CNS and General Institutional Functioning

The present study examined longitudinally the relationship between institutionalization and (a) functions mediated by the central nervous system and (b) behavioral observations of general institutional functioning. Subjects were residents of a nursing home and were the survivors of a longitudinal study. There were five assessments over a two year period. Behavioral rating scales and psychometric performance tests were employed. It was hypothesized that the effects of the intervening months of institutionalization changes occurring between the baseline and post evaluations would have detrimental effects on the parameters investigated. The composite findings, however, did not substantiate this. Rather, the consequences of the intervening months of institutional life reflected stability or variability in the context of general institutional functioning and in the processes mediated by the central nervous system, such as speed of response and information processing.