Separate Families Research Articles

The Trauma of Separation: Lifelong Health Implications on Children.

In the United States, there are millions of globally displaced children who travel with family to seek immigration relief, many of whom have experienced family separation or live under the constant threat of separation. Family separation constitutes a significant trauma with lifelong impacts on a child's mental health, physical health, and development. This review provides a summary of the various contexts within which family separation occurs as well as the current literature on long-term health sequelae. These include mental illness, externalizing behaviors, developmental challenges, family stability, economic impacts, and educational attainment. Given the number of newcomer children in the US, it is paramount that pediatric clinicians develop a holistic understanding of their needs and the effects of separation to provide evidence-based care and to advocate for the prevention of this trauma for all future migrant families. [Pediatr Ann. 2024;53(5):e167-e170.].

Why Zimbabweans Choose to Migrate or Stay

Economic and political turmoil has driven many Zimbabweans abroad, but others choose to hustle for a living at home rather than risk the strains of family separation or the financial uncertainties of emigration.

INSTITUTIONAL WELFARE AND RESILIENCE INITIATIVES FOR DEPLOYED MILITARY PERSONNEL AND FAMILIES: THEORY AND PRACTICE. A CRITICAL REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The recent unprecedented levels of deployment of troops in operations in the Horn of Africa region has dramatically changed the Military families’ growth due to the large number of troops being deployed. Families get affected by deployment-related family separation, combat injury, and death. With continued involvement in operations, there is a deep concern over parental deployment and its impact on the well-being of military families. Parental absence or loss invokes emotional uncertainty and ambiguity in the family. Through Institutional Resilience programmes, family members can successfully adapt to the situation with significant adversity or trauma through interactions with environmental factors such as community environment, the population, and risk factors. This paper therefore reviews extant conceptual and theoretical literature on common resilience programmes, proposes a theoretical framework for transition and wellbeing of military personnel and their families, proposes a definition for the construct ‘social welfare’ and makes recommendations on resilience and welfare initiatives for adoption by the Disciplined Forces and other organizations with employees in conflict prone areas in the Horn of Africa. KEY WORDS: Peacekeeping, Resilience, Welfare, Wellbeing, Counselling, Communication.

Healing Through Activism: Transformative Solidarity in a Japanese American Anti-Racism Movement

In the eight decades since World War II, Japanese Americans have come to understand what Black, Brown, and Indigenous groups in the United States have long understood: that the harm inflicted by exclusion, imprisonment, and family separation is not temporary. Trauma still lingers in survivors of American concentration camps as well as in their descendants. Moreover, the fractures created within and between identity groups by exploitative power structures have inhibited allyship across divisions of race, ethnicity, faith, nationality, and more. This article introduces Tsuru for Solidarity, a grassroots organization at the helm of the anti-racist movement that has caught fire among Japanese Americans nationally. Bearing the scars of past racial oppression, Tsuru for Solidarity combines nonviolent direct action, cross-community organizing, and Healing Circles for Change to advocate for currently targeted immigrant, asylum-seeking, Black, and Indigenous groups. Transformative Solidarity is a concept presented through the lens of Mohanty’s Feminist Solidarity framework (2003), in reference to the healing that Tsuru for Solidarity members have experienced by way of cross-community coalition building. Tsuru for Solidarity’s healing-through-activism approach is a promising model for transformative change in the current contexts of both amplified racial hostility and unprecedented cross-racial mobilization.

Novel results for separate families of fuzzy-dominated mappings satisfying advanced locally contractions in b-multiplicative metric spaces with applications

The objective of this research is to present new fixed point theorems for two separate families of fuzzy-dominated mappings. These mappings must satisfy a unique locally contraction in a complete b-multiplicative metric space. Also, we have obtained novel results for families of fuzzy-dominated mappings on a closed ball that meet the requirements of a generalized locally contraction. This research introduces new and challenging fixed-point problems for families of ordered fuzzy-dominated mappings in ordered complete b-multiplicative metric spaces. Moreover, we demonstrate a new concept for families of fuzzy graph-dominated mappings on a closed ball in these spaces. Additionally, we present novel findings for graphic contraction endowed with graphic structure. These findings are groundbreaking and provide a strong foundation for future research in this field. To demonstrate the uniqueness of our novel findings, we provide evidence of their applicability in obtaining the common solution of integral and fractional differential equations. Our findings have resulted in modifications to several contemporary and classical results in the research literature. This provides further evidence of the originality and impact of our work.

Perceptions and Experiences of Inequity for Women of Refugee Background Having a Baby during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Melbourne, Australia.

Listening to What Matters is an exploratory descriptive qualitative study that aimed to (1) understand how women of refugee background in Melbourne, Australia experienced access to health information and maternity and/or early parenting care during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) whether pandemic health directives had an impact on structural inequities for women of refugee background who received maternity and/or early parenting care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 41 participants including 17 women of refugee background, who identified as belonging to the Karen, Assyrian Chaldean, Iraqi, Syrian, Afghan, Sudanese, or South Sudanese communities and 24 health and social care professionals who identified as providing pregnancy or early parenting care during the pandemic in the north western suburbs of Melbourne. Interviews with women were conducted in preferred languages by community researchers. Interviews with professionals were conducted in English by researchers. Reflexive thematic data analysis included constructivist positionality and a trauma and violence informed approach. The results reported in this paper include three themes, with four accompanying subthemes, as follows: theme (1), 'Structural inequities and the toll of the pandemic'; theme (2), 'Supportive infrastructure'; and theme (3), 'Cultural safety during the pandemic'. The results demonstrate that cumulative negative impacts such as unequal access to health information, family separation and isolation, inadequate household income, and mental and social health concerns had the potential to amplify pre-existing structural inequities for women of refugee background. Community engagement facilitated by bicultural workers, interpreters, and trusted care providers facilitated fast-paced, two-way communication that built capacity and health literacy for women who were unable to speak English and unfamiliar with the health care system and, improved experiences of care. More research is needed to understand how the intersectional cumulative impacts of structural inequities have affected maternal and neonatal health outcomes for women of refugee background during the pandemic, as well as any differences in maternal and neonatal health outcomes between Australian-born and refugee background women and babies.

This is why we are staying: Job satisfaction among Physiotherapists in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The Kimberley region of Western Australia (WA) is classified by the Modified Monash Model as MM6 & 7 ('Remote/Very Remote'). Many physiotherapists in the Kimberley are considered 'rural generalists' and require a diverse set of clinical and non-clinical skills to work successfully within this setting. To understand physiotherapists' perspectives regarding job satisfaction within the Kimberley region a 'rural and remote' areas of Australia. An exploratory case study approach examined physiotherapists' job satisfaction in the Kimberley. Each participant completed a demographic survey and a one-on-one face-to-face interview lasting for approximately 60 minutes. Transcriptions were analysed and presented thematically. Eleven physiotherapists (nine women, two men, median age = 32 [27-60] years) participated in the study. Participants' median time working in the Kimberley was 2 (1-15) years; eight participants completed a rural placement, and eight participants had a rural background. Two overarching themes relating to job satisfaction emerged: 'personal factors' and 'workplace factors'. Furthermore, several sub-themes illustrated high levels of job satisfaction. Positive sub-themes relating to personal factors included 'belonging to the community and a rural lifestyle'. 'Diversity in caseloads' and 'workplace culture' were examples of positive workplace sub-themes. Subthemes that challenged the participants personally were 'family arrangements' including schooling, 'spousal employment and family separation' and the 'transiency and social issues' within these remote communities. Workplace challenges comprised of 'barriers to providing best practice' and the 'workforce and clinical experience' found within the Kimberley physiotherapy community and the wider health care workforce. The primary challenge of job satisfaction that encompassed both personal and workplace factors was 'accommodation', with 'cost', 'lack of availability', and 'perceived unsafe location' challenging physiotherapists' decisions to remain in the Kimberley. This study describes the many factors impacting job satisfaction among physiotherapists in a rural and remote location in WA Australia. These factors warrant consideration by organisations interested in improving recruitment and retention in this context. Improving recruitment and retention in physiotherapists in rural and remote Australia has the potential to positively influence health service provision, and therefore improve health outcomes for those living in rural and remote communities.

Organizational and Individual Resources as Buffers of Work–Family Conflict Linkages to Affect: An Application of the Job Demands and Resources Health Impairment Model

Work–family conflict is a phenomenon known to affect an individual’s well-being. However, its affective consequences are yet to be explored. In this study, we focus on understanding work–family conflict affective consequences on positive and negative affect. Our approach aims to refine the Job Demands and Resources model (JD-R model) by incorporating affect as a psychological mechanism in the health-impairment process and by exploring family-supportive organizational perceptions and psychological detachment as moderators. The final sample was composed of 195 couples, with men’s mean age around 46 years old (M = 46.85, SD = 0.34) and women’s age around 44 (M = 44.23, SD = 0.37). Men worked an average of 44.46 h per week (SD = 0.83), while women worked an average of 39.79 h per week (SD = 0.65). The majority of couples had full-time jobs (77.9% of men and 73.8% of women), worked fixed schedules (55.4% of men and 73.8% of women), were employed by others (75% of men and 82.8% of women), and worked for small companies (54.6% of men and 40% of women). Concerning education, most of the men (81.3%) and women (71.4%) attended high school or had less than 12 years of education. To test our moderation models, PROCESS version 4.1st macro for SPSS was used. Additional analyses included correlations and paired mean comparisons. Our findings indicate that work–family conflict correlates positively with negative affect and negatively with positive affect. Psychological detachment moderated the effect of work–family conflict on negative affect for women, but did not moderate the relationship with positive affect for men or women. Family-supportive organizational perceptions also did not moderate any of the proposed relationships. This study highlights how the ability to detach and separate family and professional domains is important and supports the health-impairment process of the Job Demands and Resources model through affective experiences.

Genome Analysis of Epsilon CrAss-like Phages.

CrAss-like phages play an important role in maintaining ecological balance in the human intestinal microbiome. However, their genetic diversity and lifestyle are still insufficiently studied. In this study, a novel CrAssE-Sib phage genome belonging to the epsilon crAss-like phage genomes was found. Comparative analysis indicated that epsilon crAss-like phages are divided into two putative genera, which were proposed to be named Epsilonunovirus and Epsilonduovirus; CrAssE-Sib belongs to the former. The crAssE-Sib genome contains a diversity-generating retroelement (DGR) cassette with all essential elements, including the reverse transcriptase (RT) and receptor binding protein (RBP) genes. However, this RT contains the GxxxSP motif in its fourth domain instead of the usual GxxxSQ motif found in all known phage and bacterial DGRs. RBP encoded by CrAssE-Sib and other Epsilonunoviruses has an unusual structure, and no similar phage proteins were found. In addition, crAssE-Sib and other Epsilonunoviruses encode conserved prophage repressor and anti-repressors that could be involved in lysogenic-to-lytic cycle switches. Notably, DNA primase sequences of epsilon crAss-like phages are not included in the monophyletic group formed by the DNA primases of all other crAss-like phages. Therefore, epsilon crAss-like phage substantially differ from other crAss-like phages, indicating the need to classify these phages into a separate family.

The Influence of Space Standards on Housing Typologies: The Evolution of the Nuclear Family Dwelling in England

This article explores the evolution of dwelling typologies in London, examining how regulations and standards have transformed housing layouts and indirectly informed personal and social interactions at home. Housing policy of the past century, as reflected through space standards, type plans, housing manuals, and reports, reveal a socio-political agenda of promoting nuclear family dwellings, traditionally a household of parents and their children. This article contributes to this discussion by exploring the contextual drivers, spatial reasoning, and evidence underpinning the decisions of housing reports such as the <em>Tudor Walters Report</em> (1918), the <em>Dudley Report</em> (1944), and the <em>Parker Morris Report</em> (1961). Changes in household structures can be seen through regulations: from multiple families sharing a house, to the separation of individual families into single homes, to prioritising the individual over the family unit. This article analyses how five historical moments in which typological shifts promoted nuclear family dwellings that have determined spatial hierarchies and family dynamics around cooking, eating, and socialising. Similarly, societal shifts in housing expectations, such as the changing perceptions of social status symbols, privacy, gender roles, and household dynamics have contributed to the spatial arrangement and layout of homes. By shedding light on the socio-technical transformations, this research highlights the need for innovative design solutions and evidence-based space standards to meet contemporary needs.

“Little by little, I go”: Multiple dimensions of distress and support for unaccompanied children in the United States

Unaccompanied children are a vulnerable group of immigrants who arrive to the United States (US) without a parent or caregiver. A growing body of research demonstrates that unaccompanied children experience trauma before, during, and after their arrival to the US. A gap in research in the US is a deeper understanding of how unaccompanied children describe the challenges they experience in resettlement, and what they perceive as most helpful as they adjust to new communities and social settings. This qualitative study is guided by the category fallacy theoretical framework and includes analysis of in-depth interviews with unaccompanied children who resettled in the US (n = 16). Findings reveal that unaccompanied children experience family separation and family reunification as distinct challenges. In addition, unaccompanied children perceive schools and social support as helpful with adjusting to new communities. The findings can inform how service providers design interventions and encourage policy makers to streamline school enrollment procedures.

Transformation of child welfare Institutions in Bandung, West Java: A case of deinstitutionalization in Indonesia

The enactment of the National Standard of Care for Child Welfare Institutions in 2011 signifies Indonesia's commitment to deinstitutionalization by guiding the transformation of the country’s Child Welfare Institutions, from facility-based childcare homes or orphanages, to centers of community-based children and family services. Yet, evidence of this transformation of Child Welfare Institutions is scarce. This study aimed to investigate the state of transformation of the child welfare service providers for neglected children in the City of Bandung as a parameter to understand the progress of the deinstitutionalization process in Indonesia.Fifty child welfare service providers (Child Welfare Institutions and government child protection services) operating in Bandung participated in an online survey. Cluster analysis of organizational data combined with an analysis of responses to hypothetical scenarios of children at risk of family separation, grouped service providers into; (i) medium to large, faith-based, non-government Child Welfare Institutions that primarily provide privately funded institutional care services at the Bandung level (50%), (ii) small, secular, non-government Child Welfare Institutions and government child protection services that primarily deliver family support services at the Bandung level (26%) and (iii) medium to large, secular, non-government Child Welfare Institutions that deliver privately funded institutional care and other family support services at the provincial level (24%). While there is evidence of deinstitutionalization activity in Bandung, the large number and relative size of privately operated Child Welfare Institutions suggests a high dependency on institutional care to meet children's general welfare needs.The cluster analysis also indicates limited government funding and the missions of religious organizations as possible constraints on system transformation. Further research is needed to understand the enablers and barriers to transforming the system from predominantly institutional care to a continuum of services in the context of deinstitutionalization in Bandung.

Homelessness in Pregnancy and Increased Risk of Adverse Outcomes: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Limited data indicates that homelessness during pregnancy is linked to adverse outcomes for both mothers and newborns, but there is an information gap surrounding pregnant individuals struggling with homelessness. In a landscape of increasing healthcare disparities, housing shortages and maternal mortality, information on this vulnerable population is fundamental to the creation of targeted interventions and outreach. The current study investigates homelessness as a risk factor for adverse obstetrical, neonatal, and postpartum outcomes. We reviewed more than 1000 deliveries over 1year at a large public hospital in New York City, comparing homeless subjects to a group of age-matched, stably housed controls. Multiple outcomes were assessed regarding obstetrical, neonatal, and postpartum outcomes along with social stressors. Homeless pregnant individuals were more likely to experience numerous adverse outcomes, including cesarean delivery and preterm delivery. Their neonates were more likely to undergo an extended stay in the intensive care unit and evaluation by the Administration for Children's Services, suggesting that they may be at an increased risk for family separation. After delivery, patients were less likely to exclusively breastfeed or return for their postpartum visit. Regarding personal history, they were more likely to endorse a history of violence or abuse, use illicit substances, and carry a psychiatric diagnosis. These findings indicate that homelessness is linked to numerous adverse obstetrical, neonatal, and postpartum outcomes that worsen health indices and exacerbate pre-existing disparities. Initiatives must focus on improved outreach and care delivery for homeless pregnant individuals.

Look at Grandma! Joint visual attention over video chat during the COVID-19 pandemic

Social interactions are crucial for many aspects of development. One developmentally important milestone is joint visual attention (JVA), or shared attention between child and adult on an object, person, or event. Adults support infants’ development of JVA by structuring the input they receive, with the goal of infants learning to use JVA to communicate. When family members are separated from the infants in their lives, video chat sessions between children and distant relatives allow for shared back-and-forth turn taking interaction across the screen, but JVA is complicated by screen mediation. During video chat, when a participant is looking or pointing at the screen to something in the other person’s environment, there is no line of sight that can be followed to their object of focus. Sensitive caregivers in the remote and local environment with the infant may be able to structure interactions to support infants in using JVA to communicate across screens. We observed naturalistic video chat interactions longitudinally from 50 triads (infant, co-viewing parent, remote grandmother). Longitudinal growth models showed that JVA rate changes with child age (4 to 20 months). Furthermore, grandmother sensitivity predicted JVA rate and infant attention. More complex sessions (sessions involving more people, those with a greater proportion of across-screen JVA, and those where infants initiated more of the JVA) resulted in lower amounts of JVA-per-minute, and evidence of family-level individual differences emerged in all models. We discuss the potential of video chat to enhance communication for separated families in the digital world.

Experiences With Deportation and Mexican-Origin Fathers’ Parenting Practices and Stress

For many Mexican-origin families in the U.S., a deportation can be a familiar sighting. Threats of deportation can infringe on parent-child bonds and the activities parents are able to participate in with their children. Using data from a community sample of 85 Mexican-origin fathers, this study utilized a culturally adapted family stress model to examine the role of fathers’ experiences with deportation in undermining positive parenting practices and heightening parenting stress, and then test whether fathers’ perceived access to informal social support moderates these associations. Multiple regression analyses showed the complexity of the role of social support in family stress processes. Findings suggest fewer positive parenting practices were reported by fathers with more deportation experiences, but only in conditions where fathers perceived lower-than-average social support. Also, fathers perceiving higher-than-average social support reported parenting stress if they were also experiencing greater depressive symptoms. Practical implications of state-sanctioned family separations are discussed.

Where our identity lies: Confirmation of Aboriginality—narratives of colonial and lateral violence

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are facing growing levels of scrutiny to prove their identity to access Indigenous-specific government services designed to mitigate the impacts of past government policies. Yet, it is those who have been most severely impacted by past government policies of forcible removal from Country and separation of families who often face challenges obtaining evidence to prove their Indigeneity. Employing narrative inquiry and collaborative autoethnography, this article draws on the personal reflections and experiences of the Aboriginal authors to explore the health and wellbeing impacts of deficit discourses, perceptions, and judgements about Indigeneity in Australia. Our personal stories are shared to enliven discussion on how proof of Indigeneity requirements may systemically compound ongoing intergenerational trauma. These stories and perspectives are shared to stimulate review of proof of Indigeneity policies and procedures by government agencies and education institutions across Australia.

Risk and protective factors associated with child welfare involvement among maternal-infant dyads affected by prenatal substance use

A 5-year retrospective cohort study (n = 4,178) was conducted to identify trends and outcomes associated with child welfare-involved maternal-infant dyads affected by perinatal substance use in Colorado. Two linked data sources were used: (1) vital records birth and death certificate data on live births between 2013 and 2019 and (2) child welfare data from the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System. Data integration and de-identification work was accomplished by the Linked Information Network of Colorado and authorized by state legislation. Two tools were available for identity resolution: (1) the Senzing identity resolution application and (2) SQL queries. Binary logistic regression was used to explore how a birthing person’s demographic characteristics, use of prenatal care, Special Nutrition Program for Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC) enrollment during pregnancy, health of birthing person during pregnancy and delivery, and the newborn’s health at the time of birth related to child welfare removal within the first 60 days. Factors associated with an increased risk of infant removal includeless than adequate prenatal care, lower household income, low participation in WIC, andgreater medical fragility of the newborn. For infants removed from the home, the rate of placement with relatives while in foster care decreased by 15 % (2016–2019). This is a concern as placing children with relatives is shown to promote healthy child development. Findings bring into focus opportunities for prevention, treatment, and support of maternal-infant dyads affected by substance use during the perinatal period and offers insight into early entry points for preventing the need for family separation by child welfare.

Family carers’ experiences of care home visiting restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a relational autonomy perspective

Abstract Care home residents were vulnerable to severe effects from Covid-19 infection and experienced high mortality, especially early in the pandemic. In response, many countries introduced visiting restrictions to limit transmission. These often proved extensive and prolonged, drawing fresh attention to issues of autonomy and human rights in long-term care. We conducted in-depth interviews with 27 family carers in England with relatives living in a care home during the pandemic. Adopting a relational autonomy lens, conceptualised using the capability approach, we examined how family carers considered their relatives’ capabilities to have been impacted by visiting restrictions and how relational support could be strengthened. Family carers were concerned for their relative’s fundamental capabilities, including physical health, emotional well-being, and feeling connected to significant others. Capability deprivations were associated with family separation, ‘adapted’ visits that were inappropriate for their relative’s needs, and lack of opportunity for family carers’ to provide emotional support, help staff identify their relative’s emotional and physical needs, monitor care standards or advocate for their relative. Optimising relational support during a public health emergency requires effective collaboration between care homes and family carers. Specific measures include (1) ensuring there is clarity, a sense of shared purpose, clear accountability and confidence in visiting restrictions, (2) providing family carers regular, personalised updates about their relative using a range of digital communication tools, (3) allowing choice about visiting arrangements where possible, and ensuring visits are appropriate for residents with dementia and (4) ensuring that family carers feel welcomed, involved and enabled to resume in-person visits at the earliest opportunity. Consultation with care homes, families and residents, and workforce and digital readiness should be prioritised.

Novel mechanisms of diversity generation in Acinetobacter baumannii resistance islands driven by Tn7-like elements.

Mobile genetic elements play an important role in the acquisition of antibiotic and biocide resistance, especially through the formation of resistance islands in bacterial chromosomes. We analyzed the contribution of Tn7-like transposons to island formation and diversification in the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii and identified four separate families that recognize different integration sites. One integration site is within the comM gene and coincides with the previously described Tn6022 elements suggested to account for the AbaR resistance island. We established Tn6022 in a heterologous E. coli host and confirmed basic features of transposition into the comM attachment site and the use of a novel transposition protein. By analyzing population features within Tn6022 elements we identified two potential novel transposon-encoded diversification mechanisms with this dynamic genetic island. The activities of these diversification features were confirmed in E. coli. One was a novel natural gain-of-activity allele that could function to broaden transposition targeting. The second was a transposon-encoded hybrid dif-like site that parasitizes the host dimer chromosome resolution system to function with its own tyrosine recombinase. This work establishes a highly active Tn7-like transposon that harnesses novel features allowing the spread and diversification of genetic islands in pathogenic bacteria.

Whose pain? Whose shame? Integrating heritage and histories in Ballarat, Australia

ABSTRACT For generations a burden of misplaced shame has sat with victim-survivors of children’s institutionalisation. Experiences and memories of family separation, cultural obliteration, mistreatment, hunger, unpaid labour, curtailed educational and professional opportunities, and abuse had come to silently define and destroy the lifelong living experience of childhood incarceration. Meanwhile, institutions and the communities they are part of have been able to effectively ignore the legacies of their own trespasses, through ‘top-down’, celebratory approaches to history and heritage. In recent decades, renewed emphasis on survivor voices and agency has culminated in a range of Commonwealth and state-based reports, Inquiries and Commissions, driven by abundant survivor testimonies and truth-telling. The sense of shame and guilt over these parts of our collective histories has now re-centred on the perpetrators and enablers of abuse and mistreatment. Using interpretive heritage and historical lens this article outlines a theoretical conception of ‘integrated’ approaches to history and heritage, using real-life examples from contemporary urban development and institutional heritage in the regional Australian city of Ballarat. The authors examine changing contemporary representations of institutional Care, neglect and abuse, arguing that shifting cultural and social power is reflected in the urban landscape and cultural fabric of the associated institutions.