Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA.
BMC Med. 2018 Aug 22;16(1):146. doi: 10.1186/s12916-018-1147-y.
Forcible separation and detention of children from parents seeking asylum in the United States has been decried as immoral and halted by court order. Babies and children have been separated and transported to facilities sometimes many miles away. Limited data on forced detention of unaccompanied minors reveal high incidence of posttraumatic stress, anxiety disorders, depression, aggression, and suicidal ideation. These consequences will be magnified in youths forcibly separated from their parents, particularly younger children who depend on attachment bonds for self-regulation and resilience. Studies exploring the neuropsychiatric consequences of traumatic stress have revealed consistent effects of early life stress on brain structure, function and connectivity, and the identification of sensitive periods, which occur throughout childhood when specific regions and pathways are strongly influenced by adversity. Studies of epigenetics, inflammation and allostatic load are similarly enhancing our awareness of the molecular mechanisms underpinning the long-term consequences of traumatic stress. We must consider effects on the developing brain, mind and body to appreciate the long-term consequences of policies that force separation and detention of children.
将寻求庇护的儿童与父母强行分离和拘留在美国遭到谴责，法院已下令停止这种行为。婴儿和儿童被强行分离，并被转移到有时相隔数英里的设施中。关于无人陪伴未成年人被强制拘留的有限数据显示，创伤后应激、焦虑症、抑郁症、攻击性和自杀意念的发生率很高。在与父母强行分离的青少年中，这些后果会更加严重，特别是那些依赖依恋关系来进行自我调节和恢复的年幼的孩子。研究探索创伤后应激的神经精神后果发现，早期生活压力对大脑结构、功能和连接有一致的影响，确定了敏感时期，这些时期发生在整个童年时期，特定区域和通路受到逆境的强烈影响。关于表观遗传学、炎症和适应负荷的研究也同样增强了我们对创伤后应激长期后果的分子机制的认识。我们必须考虑对发育中大脑、心理和身体的影响，以理解迫使儿童分离和拘留的政策的长期后果。
