The Developmental Catastrophe Of Separating Families

Adversity is bad for kids. Exposure to racism, poverty, violence, or being forcibly removed from family members triggers toxic stress.

Toxic stress, according to neuroscientists and development experts, can cause serious long-term consequences for children who experience it.

Jack Shonkoff of Harvard University said that: “When children are forcibly, abruptly separated from a parent or trusted caregiver, stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol flood their systems.”

These hormones can wreak short- and long-term havoc on the system over time, he explained, as they can kill off neurons and cause learning or behavioral problems and other mental or physical health issues.

Persistent or prolonged exposure to such stress can affect the body’s immune, cardiovascular, and metabolic systems. It also has the potential to alter brain structure, reports the article.

Studies have shown that kids separated from their families scored lower on IQ tests and had less white and gray matter in their brains.

There’s plenty of scientific evidence that shows the consequences of breaking the bond between child and parent are detrimental (one such theory being the Attachment Theory). Although the science is solid, and although Donald Trump recently signed an order to end the separation of families, more than 2,300 children have already been taken from their caregivers and held in detention centers with no reunification in sight.

But reunification is the only solution. The parent–child biology is incontrovertible.

“This is not a scientific issue—it’s a fundamental, moral disaster,” said Shonkoff.