This is a joint publication from Child Trends and the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families.
Research evidence shows that children thrive within safe, nurturing, stable, and predictable environments.1-3 For decades, this knowledge has underpinned several federal policies and programs that support family cohesion, stability, and children’s access to enriching environments. These include long-standing initiatives such as the Healthy Marriage & Responsible Fatherhood and Head Start/Early Head Start programs.
This foundational child development research can also guide ongoing national conversations about changes to immigration policy and the impact on families. In this brief, we outline how research on child development, neuroscience, and trauma can inform federal policy regarding the treatment of children and their families arriving at our nation’s border.
Abundant evidence shows that forceful separation from parents is harmful for children in the short term and over time. Children separated from a primary caregiver without preparation or explanation experience traumatic stress that can be toxic to the brain. Studies have demonstrated that experiences of ongoing stress alter an individual’s ability to respond to stress, ultimately changing the brain’s structure and function.2,4 Consequently, there is evidence that children exposed to severe stressors are more likely to suffer serious functional and health impairments over their lives, including posttraumatic stress, insecure attachment, behavioral problems, depression, anxiety, lower IQ, immune system deficits, and chronic health problems.5
[For more on this brief by María A. Ramos-Olazagasti, go to http://www.hispanicresearchcen...-immigration-policy/]
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