Developmental Neuroscience Informs Policy Related to Migrant and Refugee Children's Mental Health

Abstract

Migrant and refugee children commonly experience traumatic events and stressful conditions along their migration journeys. Migration-related trauma can have persisting effects on children's mental health. Developmental neuroscience suggests neural mechanisms that connect these experiences to mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. This research review, focused on migrant families emigrating from Mexico, Central America, and Haiti and bound for the United States, first overviews the nature of trauma exposure faced by migrant families and next delineates potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effects of migration-related trauma on youth mental health. Finally, detailed policy recommendations relate to (1) providing mental health care, (2) addressing chronic stressors in the context of daily life, and (3) preventing migration-related trauma.

Leveraging the developmental neuroscience of caregiving to promote resilience among youth exposed to adversity

“…Indeed, consistent with the idea that resilience depends on multilevel interactions between multiple systems in society (Masten et al, 2021), evidence demonstrates that intervening at the family, community, or broader societal level is often most effective for promoting favorable outcomes following adversity (Feder et al, 2019;Gee, 2021b;Sapienza & Masten, 2011). Third, systems-level change should be enacted to eliminate systemic infliction of trauma on youth and families (Gee, 2022;Kribakaran et al, 2023). While interventions can mitigate harm, addressing the broader societal forces that give rise to trauma is essential to prevention.…”

“…2021b), as well as the ruling that the U.S. government must provide access to mental health care for all separated families (Jordan, 2019). Despite reports of harm (Brabeck et al, 2014;Hampton et al, 2021;MacLean et al, 2019;Sidamon-Eristoff et al, 2022) and calls for structural changes to prevent the infliction of trauma against migrant children in the United States (Cohodes et al, 2020;Kribakaran et al, 2023;Pompa, 2019), migrant children and families continue to face separation, detention, exploitation, and deportation at alarming rates in the United States (Montoya-Galvez, 2022).…”

The future of neuroscience in developmental psychopathology

“…The dialog between developmental psychopathology and developmental neuroscience has motivated policy changes to facilitate wellbeing in youth: First, work documenting the pernicious effects of poverty on brain development (Johnson et al, 2016), and the neurobiological effects of interventions that reduce poverty (Noble et al, 2021), can motivate changes in systemic inequities that concentrate disadvantage to marginalized communities. Second, as adversity powerfully influences stress neurobiology, developmental neuroscientists have provided recommendations for migrationrelated policy, such as ending deportation and supporting migrant children (Kribakaran et al, 2023). Third, the neurobiological sequelae of parent-child separation and social isolation have been used to advocate for eliminating money bail and solitary confinement in the juvenile justice system, placing "healthy development as a human right" (Casey et al, 2020).…”