Peer-reviewed article
Caring in crisis: family dynamics and child wellbeing in Rohingya refugee camps
Bree Akesson, Ashley Stewart-Tufescu, Cindy Sousa, Karen M. Frensch ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined family dynamics and child wellbeing among Rohingya families in refugee camps, using interviews and activities with 32 families. Researchers found that parents experience chronic stress and trauma that strain their ability to care for children, while resource scarcity creates worry about food and healthcare. Older siblings, particularly girls, take on significant caregiving roles as parental capacity is stretched thin. Despite these challenges, families showed resilience and commitment to supporting their children, though gaps exist across health, nutrition, learning, and safety.
Key points
- Parent-child wellbeing is strained by chronic stress, trauma, and structural constraints in the refugee camp setting
- Resource scarcity intensifies worries about food, healthcare, education, and equitable caregiving across families
- Older siblings, especially girls, assume significant caregiving and economic responsibilities as parental capacities are stretched
- Families demonstrate notable adaptability, moral commitment, and resilience despite clear gaps in nurturing care domains
- Findings are framed using the WHO Nurturing Care Framework domains: health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, early learning, and safety
Limitations
This is a qualitative study based on interviews and activities with a relatively small sample (32 families), so findings cannot be generalized to all Rohingya families or quantified. The study describes challenges and resilience but does not evaluate the effectiveness of specific interventions to address the identified gaps.
Abstract
For Rohingya families living in the world's largest refugee camps, the perinatal period unfolds under conditions of profound insecurity and deprivation, despite being a critical developmental window that reshapes family dynamics and lays the foundation for child outcomes. Guided by the World Health Organization (WHO) Nurturing Care Framework-which emphasizes the interdependence of health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, early learning, and safety-we conducted collaborative family interviews, semi-structured interviews with mothers and fathers, and Life Story Board activities with school-aged children across 32 families to examine how caregiving is negotiated during this sensitive period. Findings revealed three interconnected themes: (1) parent-child wellbeing strained by chronic stress, trauma, and structural constraints; (2) intensified resource scarcity that heightens worries about food, healthcare, education, and equitable caregiving; and (3) shifting family dynamics in which older siblings-especially girls-assume significant caregiving and economic roles as parental capacities are stretched. Despite these pressures and clear gaps across the nurturing care domains, families demonstrated notable adaptability, moral commitment, and resilience in supporting their children. The results underscore the urgent need for holistic, contextually grounded interventions that bolster caregiver wellbeing, address structural barriers, and strengthen family systems in protracted displacement settings.