Date of Award
5-2025
Document Type
Project
Degree Name
Master of Social Work
Department
School of Social Work
First Reader/Committee Chair
Lim, Caroline
Abstract
Background: Under the Zero-Tolerance policy formulated by President Donald Trump, families were forced to separate from their children, which led to a broken bond between parents and their children. As a result, children were classified as unaccompanied alien children to be put in the care and custody of the Department of Health and Human Services. Research has found that separating families at the border has harmful and lasting effects on children’s psychological development. However, no research efforts have been made to systematically synthesize the evidence on the effects of family separation. Objective: This systematic review proposes to review recent literature on the effects of family separation on children’s psychological development. Methods: The following databases were used: California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB) One Search and Google Scholar. The following keywords were used: (“family separation” AND “psychological development”); (“family separation” OR “unaccompanied minor” AND “psychological development”). The articles were narrowed down to include only those that were published between the years 2010 and 2025. Conclusion: Findings from this systematic review can raise awareness of the effects of family separation on children’s psychological development.
Recommended Citation
Garcia, Janice and Barriga, Jazmin Elizabeth, "A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EFFECTS OF FAMILY SEPARATION ON CHILDREN’S PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT" (2025). Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations. 2174.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/2174