Research on Emergency Situations and the Plight of Young Children

1. Research onEmergency Situations and the Plight of Young ChildrenPresentation for INEE Global Consultation Research Task team EEWG Rob Lindsey and Jacqueline Hayden

2. Outline of presentation • Why do we need a research task team? • The EEWG Research Task Team Agenda • How to participate/contribute

3. What we know about eccd and emergencies Critical stage • During the early formative years of life the foundations for health and wellbeing are developed. • Disruptions in care and nurturing have long term effects on all aspects of life. Conversely, interventions at this age have high success rates. Neglected • In emergency situations, the youngest children may not exhibit overt symptoms of stress and distress – and are often neglectedin service planning/delivery • Perceptions that responsibility of young child lies with caregiver

4. Research on eccd in emergency situations is scarce – but we do know that Care giving matters! • Mother wellbeing directly affects child outcomes • Treating maternal depression improves growth outcomes in children • Psycho social well being of mother is affected by health of child • Psycho social skills of the child affect ability to meet emotional and nutritional needs Emperical studies have shown • Mothers less able to provide the physical and emotional care are less responsive to infant demands. • Undernourished children contribute to maternal depression by increasing feelings of guilt and incompetence • Children with greater psychosocial skills are better able to engage with caregivers and may be more effective in demanding food.

5. Research on eccd in emergency situations is scarce – but we do know that experiences during the formative years matter! Experiences in early years affect long term outcomes • biomedical (social determinants of health) • neurological (brain formation) • psycho social (resilience/emotional stability) • cognitive development • world view: sense of identity and agency (rights and responsibilties re the collective) • anger management, violence, depression in adol and beyond • School achievement Longitudinal studies show • Depression and other symptoms of stress and anxiety are co related to poor growth outcomes for infants. • Infants who have suffered deprivations do less well in school, have less chance of doing productive work and forming healthy relationships, and are more vulnerable to morbidity and mental illness. • Deprivations (nutritional, health related and psycho social) in early childhood affect long-term growth and mental development including cognitive, emotional and psychomotor development. • Elevated stress hormones and altered key brain chemicals disrupt brain development and affect immune system, metabolic regulatory functions, and general mental health. • School success and retention is signficantly related to early childhood experiences (47 years)

6. Significant literature but not specific to eccd and emergency situations (from EEWG position paper) • Grantham-McGregor, S., Cheung, Y.B., Cueto, S., Glewwe, P., Richter, L., and Strupp, B. (2007). Developmental potential in the first 5 years for children in developing countries. The Lancet, 369(9555), 60-70. • Bartlett, S. (2008). Climate change and urban children: Impacts and implications for adaptation in low- and middle-income countries. Environment and Urbanization, (20), 501. • Machel, G. (2001). The impact of war on children. Cape Town: David Philip. • Garbarino, J., Kostelny, K., and Dubrow, N. (1991). No place to be a child: Growing up in a war zone. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books. • TLanders, C. (1998, February). Listen to me: Protecting the development of young children in armed conflict. (Office of Emergency Programs Working Paper Series). New York, NY: UNICEF. • Boothby, N. (2008). Political violence and development: an ecological approach to children in war zones. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 17, 497-514. • Anda, R.F., Felitti, V.J., Bremner, J.D., Walker, J.D., Whitfield, C.H., Perry, B.D., Dube, Sh.R., and Giles, W.H. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 256, 174-186. • Moss, W.J., Ramakrishnan, M., Storms, D., Siegle, A.H., Weiss, W.M.. Lejnev, I., and Muhe, L. (2006). Child Health in Complex Emergencies. Bulletin of the Wold Health Organisation,84(1). • I • Garcia, M., Pence, A., and Evans, J.L. (2008). Africa’s Future, Africa’s Challenge. Washington, DC: The World Bank. • Blair C. (2002). School readiness: integrating cognition and emotion in a neurobiological conceptualization of children’s functioning at school entry. American Psychologist, 57,111–112. • Caldji, C., Tannenbaum, B., Sharma, S., Francis, D., Plotsky, P. and Meaney, M. (1998). Maternal care during infancy regulates the development of neural systems mediating the expression of fearfulness in the rat. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 95(9), 5335-5340. • Gunnar M. and Donzella, B. (2002). Social regulation of the cortisol levels in early human development. Pschoneuroendocrinology, 27, 199-220. • McEwen, B. and Sapolsky, R. (1995). Stress and cognitive function. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 5(2), 205-216. • Levy-Shiff, Hoffman, MA. and Rosenthal, M. (1993). Innocent bystanders: young children in war. Infant Mental Health Journal, 14(2). • Williams, J.R.A, Hyder, T., and Nicoli, S. (2004) ECD in Emergencies: Save the Children’s Experience. London: Save the Children UK. • Sinclair, M. (2001). ‘Education in Emergencies’. In J.Crisp, C. Talbot, and D. Cippolllone (eds.) Learning for a Future: Refugee Education in Developing Countries. Geneva: UNHCR • Toole, M.J. and Waldmen, R.J. (1997). The public health aspect of coplex emergencies and refugee situations. Annual Review of Public Health, 18, 283-312.

7. Demand for literature Reports on impact of eccd programs in • Albania • Colombia • Nepal • Bosnia Herza Govina • Chad • Palestine • USA • Northern Ireland Main finding Child centered spaces which support care givers and are nested in community are seen to increase cognitive functioning and socio-emotional competenceof children and to enhance well being of caregiver(s) –with many overflow effects. BUT we don’t know why or how... Connolly, P. & Hayden, J. (2007) From Conflict to Peace Building The Power of Early Childhood Initiatives –Lessons From Around The World. Seattle: Exchange Press

8. The EEWG Research agenda What works ? Research will address factors which contribute to the (immediate and long term) wellbeing of young children and familieswho experience extreme conditions. 

9. Area/Parameters Population Children from pre natal to 8 years - with an emphasis on very young (most vulnerable) children Emergency extreme situations which result in disruption of normal patterns of care and wellbeing for large segments of the population in a way that is unlikely to be ameliorated within the short term. Ecological spectrum including care giving, settings, training implications and/or policy development/implementation. Focus prevention, preparedness, immediate intervention strategies, and/or longer term strategies. Applied EEWG’s emphasis will be on supporting applied research that can immediately inform programming.

10. Research support and activities- Coordination, advising, training, conducting Coordination and Advising • Focal points for parties interested in conducting research on young children in emergencies, • advising on topic selection and probable funding sources • linking researchers with similar research agendas, and • building bridges with agencies and organizations for field partnerships. • The EEWG is particularly interested in working with advanced university students, and will facilitate the development of doctoral and post-doctoral research projects and positions related to the young children in emergencies. Training The EEWG will work closely with researchers from the academy and relevant organizations to design and implement a training course on conducting research on/with young children in emergencies.

11. Conducting International research consortia will be developed to oversee at least one major research project* Focus for project(s) • Program evaluation • Piloting/Testing minimum standards for ece and emergencies • Ethnographic case studies • Other * Funding is being sought: to date we have commitment from Macquarie University Australia re some matching funds and PhD scholarships to support this research topic .

12. Participants who want more information about PHD opportunities and/or who would like to inform us of ongoing research projects, please contact Rob rlindsley@worlded.orgrol600@mail.harvard.edu Jacqueline Jacqueline.Hayden@mq.eu.au