Smith-Bynum interviewed for child separation feature
In an article in The Cut, "The Psychological Effects of being Separated from your Child," Cari Romm reports on the human cost of a policy of family separation, drawing on insights from Faculty Associate Mia Smith-Bynum. "[W]hen a separation happens when it’s not supposed to - unexpectedly, non-consensually, because of circumstances beyond the parent’s control," she writes, "it becomes what human development experts call an 'off-time life event,' and it can turn a parent’s identity upside-down. Dr. Bynum commented, “It goes against the normal expectations a parent might have over the course of that young person’s life."
Parents separated from their children with no recourse can lead to ambiguous loss: “You know your kid is out there, but you don’t know if you’ll be able to parent and take care of your kid again,” Dr. Bynum said.