Family Separation

Question 1

Forced separation

Answer 1

Can impact the emotional and physical well-being of separated adults and children. Forced separation of children who have fled violence can be particularly harmful. Even a brief separation can have a lasting effect.

Question 2

Forced separation

Answer 2

Needless and cruel

Question 3

American Psych Assoc

Answer 3

immigrants experience unique stressors related to the conditions that led them to flee their home countries in the first place.

The longer that children and parents are separated, the greater the reported symptoms of
anxiety and depression for the children

Question 4

APA

Answer 4

Negative outcomes for children include psychological distress, academic difficulties and disruptions in their development.

Question 5

Fortuna, Lisa MD

Answer 5

Children who are detained are at risk of a variety of psychosocial and developmental problems linked to their detention experiences

Question 6

Fortuna, Lisa MD

Answer 6

A variety of factors contribute to the distress experienced by children who are held in detention, including

1. previous trauma experienced in their home country or during migration,
2. disruption of the family unit,
3. separation from parents and poor and unsafe conditions of detention

Question 7

Fortuna, Lisa

Ainsworth, Freud, Bowlby

Answer 7

The study of attachment has illuminated the critical role of early caregiving relationships in fostering healthy development and forming a basis for future relationships and mental health well-being

Question 8

Fortuna, Lisa

Ainsworth, Freud, Bowlby

Answer 8

The loss of a parent is a severe hardship for any child;
children who have suffered traumatic stress and other losses as many refugee/ asylum seeking children have, are particularly vulnerable to negative psychological
consequences related to separation from parent.

Question 9

Fortuna, Lisa

Ainsworth, Freud, Bowlby

Answer 9

Risk factors known to be especially hazardous for children include separations from their primary attachment figure and loss or disappearance of a parent, exposure to traumatic events such as abuse, and damaging social environments (Carlson, 2012).

Question 10

Fortuna, Lisa

Ainsworth, Freud, Bowlby

Answer 10

children asylum seekers whose anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress are worsened during periods of uncertainty, times of separation from primary caregiver and when he or she is unable to have the physical
and emotional protection from his or her parent.

Question 11

Irreparable Harm to Their Brain Development

Fortuna

Answer 11

Severe stress such as traumatic separations in infancy and childhood may have serious, long-lasting effects on a child’s brain development, affecting future manifestations of negative emotions, maladaptive behaviors, and conflictual attachments.

Question 12

Irreparable Harm to Their Brain Development

Fortuna

Answer 12

children thus affected operate in a survival mode, rather than learning to flexibly adapt to environmental demands

Question 13

Irreparable Harm to Their Brain Development

Fortuna

Answer 13

Factors such as the level of supervision, familial and social support make a difference in the level of distress children experience

Question 14

Irreparable Harm to Their Brain Development

Fortuna

Answer 14

a host of risks and influences create and exacerbate

mental distress among children including if children have lost their home, belongings, family and friends

Question 15

Irreparable Harm to Their Brain Development

Fortuna

Answer 15

Other influences on stress include
language barriers,
uncertainty about asylum status,
fears of deportation,
the process of immigration itself, and the
lack of personal and structural support all contribute to the distress experienced by a child and the long-term risk to their cognitive and emotional development

Question 16

Irreparable Harm to Their Brain Development

Fortuna

Answer 16

mental health risks thus far described may surface or be aggravated when children are placed in confined, institutional settings and are also separated from family
members

Question 17

Irreparable Harm to Mental Health
Fortuna
Future outcomes

Answer 17

a child’s adaptive processes are impaired by their uncertain future prospects . In the long term, this can result in school failure, drop out, persistent poverty and hopelessness and even suicidality later in life

Question 18

Irreparable Harm to Mental Health
Fortuna
By definition have experienced traumatic stress

Answer 18

Children of families seeking asylum have by definition experienced traumatic stress, often severe in nature

Question 19

Irreparable Harm to Mental Health
Fortuna
Degree and duration of terror

Answer 19

The more terror inducing the trauma is and the longer its duration is, particularly when combined with the absence of a parent, the more devastating its
effects on children

Question 20

Irreparable Harm to Mental Health
Fortuna
Effects of trauma exposure (van der Kolk)

Answer 20

Trauma exposure in children and adolescents can
impede personality development, causing disturbances in sense of self, impairment of basic trust, attachment disorders, and sharp deterioration in functioning

Question 21

Irreparable Harm to Mental Health
Fortuna
Significant risk for…

Answer 21

significant risk for irreparable harm in regards to brain development, psychological health and thus a trajectory of poor mental health, learning and development throughout their life.

Question 22

Children’s Defense Fund Letter to US Govt by Prof Orgs

Answer 22

Forced separation disrupts the parent-child relationship and puts children at increased risk for both physical and mental illness.

Question 23

Children’s Defense Fund Letter to US Govt by Prof Orgs

ACE

Answer 23

Adverse childhood experiences—including the incarceration of a family member—are well-recognized precursors of negative health outcomes later in life

Question 24

Children’s Defense Fund Letter to US Govt by Prof Orgs

ACE

Answer 24

And the psychological distress, anxiety, and depression associated with separation from a parent would follow the children well after the immediate period of separation—even after eventual reunification with a parent or other family.

Question 25

ACLU Letter to US Govt by Prof Orgs

Safety of parental care

Answer 25

In order to grow and develop, children need to remain in the care of their parents where they are loved, nurtured and feel safe

Question 26

Juabsamai & Taylor

Separation and remittance

Answer 26

children associate remittances with love
When a parent is able to send home large and consistent amounts of money, the children were more likely to appreciate their parents’ sacrifices, and maintain strong, positive contact.

Question 27

Juabsamai & Taylor

Separation and remittance

Answer 27

when the remittances were very little or lacking, children felt abandoned and resentful, and deemed the separation unjustified.

Question 28

Juabsamai & Taylor

Intergenerational Trauma

Answer 28

children of migrants report feeling abandoned

Question 29

Juabsamai & Taylor

Intergenerational Trauma

Answer 29

Bowlby’s Attachment Theory to better understand the intergenerational transmission of trauma.34 Brothers writes that trauma may be transmitted in day-to-day

familial relationships. Children may develop ‘disorganized/disoriented attachment patterns’ as a result of the responses of their parent(s)’ traumatic experiences.

Question 30

Juabsamai & Taylor

Intergenerational Trauma

Answer 30

adults who have suffered trauma may or may not be emotionally or functionally approachable

Question 31

Juabsamai & Taylor

Intergenerational Trauma

Answer 31

trauma responses are a cause for family disruption. Because he is hypervigilant, less trusting and extra cautious, the family members tend to have similar reactions. Catherall, as cited in Abrams, proposes that mistrust can at times be ‘transmitted’ without the survivor being aware,37 thus making the attachment patterns within the family rigid and constricted.38

Question 32

Definition of Trauma

Young Center Training

Answer 32

experience or experiences that create a lasting, substantial, psychosocial, and somatic impact on a child. There are two forms of traumatic events: Type I, or acute, trauma is a single event and Type II, or chronic, trauma involves multiple events.

Question 33

Trauma Relating to Youth Immigrants/Refugees

Young Center Training

Answer 33

We can separate the experiences of immigrant youth into three phases: pre-migration, migration, and post-migration.

Question 34

Effects of Trauma on Child Development

Young Center Training

Answer 34

children can experience problems with attachment, dissociating to protect themselves from further psychological distress. Developmental trauma is usually the result of chronic abuse or neglect, and it can have a detrimental effect on neurological functioning as well as future relationships.

Question 35

Common Responses to Trauma by Children and Adolescents

Young Center Training

Answer 35

Trauma reactions are both physiological (body) and psychological (mind).

Question 36

Common Responses to Trauma by Children and Adolescents

Young Center Training

Answer 36

When children sustain traumatic psychological injuries, they are often hyperaroused – they are jumpy and apprehensive and startle easily.

Question 37

Common Responses to Trauma by Children and Adolescents

Young Center Training

Answer 37

They might re-experience the traumatic events in flashbacks that occur while awake or as nightmares.

Question 38

Common Responses to Trauma by Children and Adolescents

Young Center Training

Answer 38

Child victims of traumatic events can work hard to avoid any activity that reminds them of the trauma, becoming withdrawn and fearful of going out and doing things they might have enjoyed at one time.

Question 39

Common Responses to Trauma by Children and Adolescents

Young Center Training

Answer 39

Some kids tend to engage in self-blame and internalize the negative events, whereas other children lash out at those around them. These responses can be difficult to manage in a controlled setting such as school, and child victims of trauma frequently have behavioral and achievement difficulties in the academic setting.

Question 40

Challenges in Working with Young Victims of Trauma

Young Center Training

Answer 40

Children who have been traumatized have learned to be wary or mistrustful of people, and those who work with them must have a great deal of patience and understanding. An additional challenge of working with children is the lack of language skills that they have in expressing what has happened to them. They may be able to recount the details of the experience, but might not be able to verbalize how it made them feel or how they have continued to relive it.

Question 41

Challenges for Immigrant Youth in Federal Custody/Detention

Young Center Training

Answer 41

Studies have shown that for many detainees, psychological functioning deteriorates with time spent in detention. Immigration detention is strongly linked with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Children who are detained may feel a loss of control, separated from the outside world

Question 42

Emotional Expressions of Youth Trauma Victims

Young Center Training

Answer 42

hypervigilance and suspiciousness
difficulty engaging with caregivers due toemotional detachment or dissociation
physical complaints like stomach aches andheadaches
excessive crying
hopelessness
attention deficits

Question 43

Emotional Expressions of Youth Trauma Victims

Young Center Training

Answer 43

recurring and unwanted thoughts about thetrauma
avoidance
lack of interest in activities he/she used to enjoy
anger or irritability
sadness
trouble managing emotions
eating and sleeping disturbances

Question 44

Emotional Expressions of Youth Trauma Victims

Young Center Training

Answer 44

children do not always have the language to express distress or do not feel comfortable talking about it, they may show behavioral signs that can be identified and addressed. Some signs of emotional or psychological distress in children include withdrawal from social opportunities, competing for attention, being unwilling to leave their rooms, showing little interest in suggested activities, becoming verbally or physically aggressive, or instigating conflict with peers and authority figures.

Question 45

Definition of Vicarious Trauma

Young Center Training

Answer 45

Vicarious trauma is defined as the emotional effect of exposure to trauma stories as trauma workers become witnesses to the pain, fear, and terror that trauma survivors have endured. Although it is related to secondary trauma and compassion fatigue, these can be differentiated by the degree of symptomology. Secondary trauma manifests with symptoms that mirror Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), while compassion fatigue is more similar to burnout. Vicarious trauma is noted by a change in the caregiver’s optimism and belief in mankind as noble and good.

Question 46

Process of Vicarious Trauma

Young Center Training

Answer 46

Vicarious trauma unfolds over time. It is the cumulative effect that occurs as a result of hearing painful and disturbing stories. Through hearing about the youth immigrant’s experiences, we may feel angry that our fellow human beings are capable of hurting or exploiting children. We may become pessimistic about the world being a safe place. We may also question our spirituality (in whatever way we define it) and start to change our perspective about the larger meaning of life in a world that can allow these things to happen.

Question 47

Symptoms of Vicarious Trauma

Young Center Training

Answer 47

symptoms of vicarious trauma that include social withdrawal and isolation, cynicism and mistrust, anger, feelings of inadequacy and inability to effect change, intrusive thoughts or images, recollection of one’s own trauma history, boundary violations, eating and sleeping disturbances, and dissociation. In particular, working with immigrants and refugees might arouse survivor’s guilt, and reopen the advocate’s grief and loss wounds. We may begin to question the meaning of life and other spiritual values. This process is on-going. The longer the advocate is engaged, the more likely he/she is to develop symptoms.

Question 48

KEY MESSAGES FOR CHILD VICTIMS

Young Center Training

Answer 48

1. It’s not happening now. It’s in the past. You are here in the present.
2. You are safe.
   a. Adults in this facility are responsible for your safety.
3. You are worthy of care and affection.
4. You are not inherently dangerous/toxic.
5. You are doing well; you are a strong person that can contribute to others.
6. You have a future.
7. It’s ok to tell me.
8. You shouldn’t have gone through that.
9. It must had been difficult.
10. Tell me about it.