Important Final project

Group 2 Annotated Bibliography

The topic that we chose for our project is the impact of trauma among undocumented immigrant children. We have each chosen a sub-topic that correlates with our main topic. Christina chose sources that talked more in depth of the effects of trauma on child development. Talita’s subtopic focuses on an overview of the trauma that these children go through. Brooklyn’s subtopic is based on detention centers and the separation of the child from their families. Damaris’s subtopic looks closely into federal programs and laws that can help undocumented children.

Christina Rivera

Guarnaccio,P., Lopez,S. (1998).The mental health and adjustment of immigrant and refugee children. Child And Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics Of North America, 7(3), 537-553.

This article compares the similarities and the differences that immigrant children have with refugee children. The situations that these groups of children face may have been very different, but they are sometimes similar in a different sense that needs to have more light shed on them. The first main point that the author makes is the constant need for change in the child’s environment. Changes in the environment can cause much confusion in a child’s life and leave them in a more vulnerable state. Children lack cognitive development depending on their age and they may not understand fully the effects of constantly having to move or be with another family. Becoming accustomed to a new place may cause other challenges such as lack of resources, the need to learn a different language or learning about their new immediate environment. Another main topic that this article explores is the mental health of immigrant and refugee children. Distress and resilience seem to be common factors that these children endure during these times especially on their age of impact. There are three dimensions that the article seems to talk about most. They are self-esteem, psychosocial distress, and psychiatric disorder. The conclusions made from this article shows that there is not one group that “suffers” more than the other. There may be different subgroups of children that may have been more at a disadvantage. For example, second generation immigrant children may fail to develop language competence which can put them at a higher risk for school performance and mental health problems. Some suggestions that are very important that the author suggests are having more multicultural staff in services that are geared to help these populations of children. In addition, staff that works close with this population should receive intensive training that will create more trust with the children. Refugee and immigrant children go through a lot at such a young age and professionals should try to lessen the trauma that these children may experience by being more knowledgeable and providing more intervention programs to help.

Hart, R. (2009). Child refugees, trauma and education: interactionist considerations on social and emotional needs and development. Educational Psychology in Practice, 25(4), 351–368.

This article focuses on the effects of trauma and emotional and social needs of child refugees. The author tried to compare research about general traumatic experiences and PTSD (post- traumatic stress disorder) from child refugees compared to adult refugees. According to Hart (2009), “A child who is not given the opportunity to talk about their experiences may find it more difficult to deal with their emotional consequences” (p.355). Not talking about the problems that are surrounding these children’s lives, causes more internal damage and makes it harder for children to find an outlet to their stress. Instead, they bottle up their problems without discussing it which makes it worse in the end. Like undocumented children, refugee children need be accustomed to quick change such as a different environment family and school related. Constant changes to a child’s environment can make it difficult for that child to build trust with others and puts them in a position where they need to be more responsible even if they are not ready.

This article would be used to discuss different approaches that can be used to treat children with PTSD symptoms such as group and family therapy and other programs that can be available and the various challenges that these children face. This article also touches on school-based intervention programs that can help children become more comfortable in the setting of the school and working through their troubles.

Rojas-Flores, L., Clements, M. L., Hwang Koo, J., & London, J. (2017). Trauma and psychological distress in Latino citizen children following parental detention and deportation. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9(3), 352–361.https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000177

This article suggests that parent-child separation through deportation causes traumatic stress that can directly impact a child’s mental health. Mental health problems that can arise may include depression, anxiety, and other types of psychological stress. Depending on the age of the child and the severity of the situation they are encountering, these effects may vary. The study done in the article, measured PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) symptoms and other psychological stress of children aged 6-12 with at least one undocumented parent at risk. Forced parental-child separation can be caused by the child’s parents being deported, arrested, taken to a detention center, etc. All of these cases can leave the child vulnerable and left without any direction. Post- traumatic stress symptoms can be caused by a combination of trauma, a lack of a strong family environment/support, and stigma or shame that might be from other children around them. These results were compared to children with parents that have a legal status. The results indicated that children tend to internalize the issues regarding their parent’s immigration status and that children with parents at risk show higher levels of PTSD symptoms than the other children. The results also showed that children that had a parent suddenly detained or deported showed higher levels of trauma and psychological stress. After this study had taken place, the author suggested that there needed to be more support for the need of clinical and mental health interventions for the child population. There should be more programs in place to help families with children that are going through these situations. The younger the child is the harder it may be to find coping strategies to help them.

Talita Rivera

Danese, A., & Baldwin, J. R. (2017). Hidden wounds: inflammatory links between childhood trauma and psychopathology. Annual review of psychology, 68, 517-544.

The article’s content focuses on the association of trauma during childhood and psychopathology in an individual’s later years. It comprises different sophisticated discussions, some of which involve experimental studies conducted on both humans and animals to establish how trauma affects psychopathology. Also included are discussions on the relationship between inflammation and psychopathology and that of childhood trauma and inflammation. Eventually, the authors discuss in detail how surveys of certain aspects can help in identifying some of the most significant links between childhood trauma, inflammation, and psychopathology.

The article which contains discussions about the findings of an empirical study, illustrates that children who are subjected to stressful experiences in their early life are at risk of developing certain mental disorders. The systemic inflammatory response to these distresses could have specific negative implications on the child which can affect one's overall growth and development. Among the most significant components that are likely to be negatively affected include brain development, behavioral reactions of the child, and sensitivity to subsequent stressors. As such, childhood trauma is expected to have significant adverse implications on one's mental health characteristics entailing psychopathology. The early-age stressful experiences affect a child’s brain functioning system leading to specific abnormalities as the individual grows through various stages of development. Moreover, the authors have concluded with an extensive summary of how childhood trauma leads to the elevation of inflammation that affects psychopathology. As such, it is recommendable to employ particular anti-inflammation strategies that would help reduce inflammation among traumatized children.

Hamblen, J., & Barnett, E. (2016). PTSD in children and adolescents. National Center for PTSD, in www. ncptsd. org.

The report that was produced by the US Department of Veteran Affairs covers a wide range of information regarding Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as one of the most significant implications of childhood trauma. It is an article that is based on logic and factual statistics about how certain aspects that happen in one’s childhood can lead to unwanted mental health conditions as one grows and transforms from one stage to another. The author has comprehensively elaborated most of the information associated with PTSD among children and adolescents, making it easier for the target audience to understand the content.

PTSD, although it was almost unidentifiable among young children, is influenced by specific life experiences that render one to respond in fear, helplessness, or horror to some extent. Among the situations that the author identifies that could traumatize a child include violence such as during kidnapping or rape, exposure to unfavorable community environments, war, and peer suicide, among other factors associated with living as undocumented immigrants. Most of the individuals who go through such events are vulnerable to trauma as studies have indicated that among the participants involved, 15 of 43% and 14 of 43% of girls and boys, respectively, have gone through at least one traumatic event during their childhood. As such, several factors, including the trauma's severity, parental support, and the living environment, have been identified as some of the significant influences of PTSD during childhood. Besides, the author illustrates that mental disorder varies among children of various ages, wherein it is less noticeable among very young individuals than among young adolescents. Also, for comprehensiveness, other impacts of trauma have been identified and elaborated to develop a broad discussion regarding the issue. It is, hence, necessary to have appropriate intervention measures that could be implemented to reduce the problems of PTSD, which is one of the impacts of trauma among children.

Malizia, N. (2017). The psychological trauma in children and adolescents: Scientific and Sociological Profiles. Sociology Mind, 7(01), 11.

The article’s content is sophisticated and comprehensively elaborated to ensure the relation of psychological trauma and the growth of a child has been discussed to a no small extent. The author focuses the efforts on insisting on some of the most basic and essential aspects concerned with childhood traumatic events ranging from how they occur, the impacts, and some of the significant interventions that can be put in place to reduce the risks on one's mental health. The report, which focuses on children and adolescents, has been classified in various substantial subdivisions that are precisely titled to enable the reader to have a comprehensive follow-up.

The author identifies abandonment as one of the common causes of trauma among children, wherein parents or caregivers neglect their responsibilities for taking care of the young ones. The neglect by adults creates a stressful experience for the child that it could have significant adverse impacts on his or her development. As such, the content includes a discussion on the various stages of child development from a very young age to adolescence as an emphasis of how traumatic events are different at various levels. Furthermore, multiple impacts of trauma, including social effects, disassociation, and derealization or depersonalization, have been discussed in-depth. Each of the effects has been differently elaborated to avoid confusion and also enables the reader to have a clear understanding of the content. As a way of wrapping up the entire discussion, various intervention methodologies have been demonstrated, including how they can be implemented to reduce the adverse effects of trauma on the children. With the interventions, abandoned minors can be helped to recover and normally live regardless of where they are located or living.

Brooklyn Amay

Fass, P. S. (2019). The kids we don’t protect. Time International (South Pacific Edition), 194(3), 21–22.

http://ezproxy.montclair.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=137480186&site=eds-live&scope=site

The article stated how there are children we don’t protect, which are the immigrants that get separated from their parents. In Texas after the Trump administration ended the family separation policy lawyers visited a detention center and witnessed some uncomfortable things. Once It was reported to the media, others spoke up about what they had seen. The author explains how there were babies with no diapers, sleeping on floors due to overcrowded cells, no access to meals or showers. This would have to be my least favorite source because there wasn’t so much information about how they were treated or felt. With a topic like this I feel the author should have got into full description about what those people have seen or were there any change. But to know that many places don’t treat those children right is still a shock for me because they are just innocent children that want their parents and caregivers.

Mares, S., Newman, L., Dudley, M., & Gale, F. (2002). Seeking refuge, losing hope: parents and children in immigration detention. Australasian Psychiatry, 10(2), 91-96.

This article focuses on the children in immigration detention losing hope in life. This observation the author decided to do what happened between December 2001 and March 2002 in Australia at a detention center. The authors decided to go for visits and hear from the children and their experience. Some pictures were given that the children drew from their experience of life at the detention center. Those were helpful since most of them were young and didn’t know how to communicate fully. The author included them for a reason, and I think it’s because others can understand more through pictures than just words.

Roth, B. J., Crea, T. M., Jani, J., Underwood, D., Hasson III, R. G., Evans, K., Zuch, M., & Hornung, E. (2018). Detached and afraid: U.S. immigration policy and the practice of forcibly separating parents and young children at the border. Child Welfare, 96(5), 29–49.

The article is about the background of children who are immigrants and in transitional foster care due to the separation from their families. It also discusses the data from a study they gathered by interviewing a few staff members that serve the children that were separated from their parents at the border. The authors describe how the staff witnesses the children's depression and behavior and how they form solutions to make them feel comfortable. They know the children have been through so much trauma already, they wouldn’t want to cause any more towards them. It’s written in full detail and I believe it’s one of the best sources I’ve chosen. Knowing that staff from these departments care about young children makes a difference in my eyes, they just try their best for every single one of them.

Damaris Meza

Konings, P. (2017). Protecting Immigrant Children's Right to Education. Retrieved from https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/child_law/resources/child_law_practiceonline/child_law_practice/vol-36/mar-apr-2017/protecting-immigrant-childrens-right-to-education-/

This article talks about all the challenges undocumented children face when it comes towards their education. In 1982, there was a law passed Plyer vs. Doe which stated that undocumented children have the right to free public education just like anyone else. The law states, “we are unable to find in the congressional immigration scheme any statement of policy that might weigh significantly in arriving at an equal protection balance concerning the State’s authority to deprive these children of an education.”3 In other words, the undocumented status of these children does not “provide a rational basis for depriving them an education.”4 Rather, “by denying these children a basic education,” the Court said, “we deny them the ability to live within the structure of our civic institutions, and foreclose any realistic possibility that they will contribute in even the smallest way to the progress of our Nation. Such discrimination can hardly be considered rational.” (Konings, 2017). This article also points out the difficulties undocumented children face when enrolling to school, finding the funds to go to school, language barriers, etc. For example, some schools have illegally asked their social security from both them and their family members knowing they don’t have those types of documents.

In conclusion, this article talks about how we can change these barriers undocumented students must face when enrolling into schools. It states, removing enrollment barriers, provide English programs, offer therapeutic services for immigrant children who have experienced trauma, and provide legal representation for an immigrant child. Making sure all these are provided ensures a child has the education one needs to have a brighter future.

Martinez, O., Wu, E., Sandfort, T., Dodge, B., Carballo-Dieguez, A., Pinto, R., Rhodes, S. D., Moya, E., & Chavez-Baray, S. (2015). Evaluating the impact of immigration policies on health status among undocumented immigrants: a systematic review. Journal of immigrant and minority health, 17(3), 947–970. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9968-4

This article is about the laws that undocumented immigrants have when it comes to healthcare. It also talks about the stressors undocumented immigrants face because they have no healthcare benefits. There are many policies that state that undocumented immigrants aren’t allowed to specific types of healthcare. Meanwhile some healthcare policies allow undocumented immigrants to be allowed to some form of healthcare “beyond emergency care, primary and secondary care. However, this entitlement often involved administrative procedures, including the completion of applications and forms, that when put into practice, impaired access to care to a certain extent.” (Martinez, 2015) There have been many studies where it has shown that undocumented immigrants compared to citizens are more likely to have depressions, PTSD, and other health problems because they are prohibited to health care and are scared to get any help because of deportation. In conclusion, this article focused on certain policies that should be passed to help undocumented immigrants when it comes to healthcare. Undocumented immigrants not being allowed to certain healthcare is part of a global problem that much be changed and is slowly coming to a change.

Walkley, M., & Cox, T. L. (2013). Building Trauma-Informed Schools and Communities. Children & Schools, 35(2), 123–126

This article talks about how trauma can affect child development and how important it is to have trauma-informed schools. There are different types of stress that can occur in a child’s life whether it’s good stress that teaches them life lessons or toxic stress (being the worst.) The article states how sometimes schools misinterpret kids for having “attention deficit disorder, oppositional-defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and other diagnoses that prevent exploration of effective interventions for healing from the trauma” (Cox, 2013) Our topic is about the trauma undocumented children may face in their everyday lives. Children being separated by their parents can cause immense stress to a child’s life. Undocumented children with undocumented parents or documented children with undocumented parents live with the stress of them getting deported or if their parents will get deported one day, which can cause a lot of trauma and stress into their lives. Children spend most of their days at school so having people know how to deal with kids who are dealing with stress is extremely important and helpful in these situations. The article talks a lot about stress and trauma but one point that was valid for my topic was the intervention programs schools can do to help kids who are dealing with stress/trauma. “Schools interested in becoming trauma responsive must partner with early care and education programs to design a continuum of support services across the prenatal through college age spectrum.” (Cox, 2013) These intervention programs help kids or early teens with making sure they have positive early childhood experiences which helps them in the future live a positive and healthy life.

In conclusion, the article's main idea is to make sure all kids from K-12 are all taken care of no matter the type of trauma they have encountered. Schools just want to make sure that kids feel safe whether it’s at school, on the bus, or at home.