Timing matters forced displacement and refugee children's cognitive, social, and emotional development Autumn Brown

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Brown, Autumn, author.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania. Education., degree granting institution.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Developmental psychology.

Educational evaluation.

Sociology.

Cognitive psychology.

0620.

0443.

0633.

0626.

Local Subjects:

Developmental psychology.

Educational evaluation.

Sociology.

Cognitive psychology.

0620.

0443.

0633.

0626.

Genre:

Academic theses

Physical Description:

1 online resource (245 pages)

Contained In:

Dissertations Abstracts International 87-12B

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2026

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Over 20 million children are currently living forcibly displaced from their homes due to conflict and crisis. Applying developmental science to understand how forced displacement shapes children's development is critical for designing targeted, tailored, and impactful interventions. This dissertation draws on developmental psychology, neuroscience, education, and intervention science to examine how the developmental stage at the time of forced displacement may differentially shape children's cognitive, social, and emotional development. It also extends this line of inquiry by empirically testing whether the developmental timing of displacement moderates the effectiveness of a skill-targeted social and emotional learning (SEL) intervention. This dissertation uses data from two samples of Syrian refugee children living in Lebanon: one of children in middle childhood (ages 6-9; n = 2,291) and another of early adolescents (ages 10-12; n = 1,193). It investigates associations between children's developmental stage at displacement (infancy, preschool years, or middle childhood) and children's (1) executive function skills and behaviors (e.g., self-regulation), (2) social and emotional well-being, and (3) differential responsiveness to a skill-targeted SEL intervention. Among 6-9-year-olds, children displaced during the preschool years demonstrated higher baseline observed executive function, prosocial skills, and positive affect compared to those displaced in infancy, while children displaced in middle childhood exhibited higher internalizing symptoms. Among 10-12-year-olds, displacement in middle childhood was associated with better working memory than displacement in the preschool years, though no significant differences were found in social and emotional well-being. Intervention effects varied by developmental stage of displacement, but only in select domains: teacher-observed working memory and emotion knowledge, with unexpected iatrogenic effects on internalizing symptoms and directly assessed inhibitory control among 6-9-year-olds displaced in infancy and middle childhood, respectively. In the 10-12-year-old sample, the intervention reduced teacher-reported social problems among children displaced in the preschool years relative to the control condition. Together, these findings suggest that the developmental stage at which a child experiences forced displacement shapes their later self-regulation, socioemotional well-being, and responsiveness to skill-targeted intervention. The dissertation concludes with implications for developmental theory, future research, and the design of interventions to promote displaced children's positive adaptation

Notes:

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-12, Section: B.

Advisors: Wolf, Sharon Committee members: Bowden, A. Brooks; Kim, Ha Yeon; Aber, J. Lawrence

Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania 2026

Vendor supplied data

Local Notes:

School code: 0175

ISBN:

9798247973195

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license