Peer-reviewed article

Infant Mental Health and Institutionalised Children

Monisha C. Nayar-Akhtar, Alexandra Murray Harrison · 1 Jan 2018

Abstract

In this article, foundational ideas for investing in infant mental health as well as institutionalised children are explored. In infant mental health, there are three foundational ideas (1) stressful life experience can harm brain development during pregnancy and in the first months of life; (2) the parent-infant relationship can moderate at least in part the effects of this stress; (3) nurses and other health workers can support the infant-parent relationship and in that way promote healthy development of the child and of the adult the child will become. The author, Alexander Harrison, describes a model to support the parent-infant relationship in the form of training in infant mental health offered by a non-profit, Supporting Child Caregivers (SCC) to nurses and other health workers. In addition to the training, an SCC team is exploring the development of ‘nudges’, strategies to encourage the sustainability of the training. In working with institutionalised children, Monisha Nayar-Akhtar describes problems that are encountered in the care of the children and proposes alternative ways of viewing the care and management of these children. Drawing from cultural and social theorists, these ideas while acknowledging the insights provided by attachment theory, offer socio and culturally informed ideas that broaden our understanding of working with institutionalised children in the South Asian regions of the world.