Abstract:
Prosocial behavior is a distinguishing characteristic of human nature. Although prosocial behaviors emerge early in development, contextual factors play an important role in how these behaviors are manifested over development. A large body of research focuses on the trajectory of prosocial development across diverse cultures and investigating contexts that foster it. Against this backdrop of developmental research endeavoring to understand and enhance the cooperative side of humanity, is the catastrophic impact of profoundly negative forces on social-emotional development for children forced to flee from violent conflict. Close to half a million Rohingya children, whose families were forced to flee genocide in Myanmar, now live in the largest refugee camp in the world. To examine the resilience of human prosociality in the face of extreme adversity, we documented initial levels of prosociality in Rohingya refugee children living in a mega-camp (Cox\'s Bazar, Bangladesh) and the extent to which those levels were improved following a multifaceted intervention designed to foster prosociality. The research was a partnership between Rohingya community members with lived experience, humanitarian practitioners, and developmental researchers. A sample of 152 Rohingya children (5-12 years) participated in pre- and postintervention assessments of prosocial behaviors and related cognitive-affective processes. The 10-day collaboration-based intervention was implemented between November 2021 and January 2022 by Rohingya researchers. Birthplace was used as a proxy measure of trauma level. Children born in Myanmar (N = 88) directly experienced relatively higher levels of trauma (genocide, forced migration) than children who were born in the camp after their families fled from Myanmar (N = 64). Children were individually tested pre- and postintervention with a task battery, including a helping (Origami) and two sharing tasks (Dictator Game [DG], Forced Choice sharing) measuring prosocial behavior. Assessments of related cognitive-affective processes included measures of empathic responding and emotion perspective-taking in story tasks (Imagine, Judgment) and executive function (EF) skills (Younger: Hearts & Flowers; Older: Dimensional Change Card Sorting). Small group intervention sessions conducted over 10 days targeted these prosocial behaviors and cognitive-affective processes and were based on collaborative activities, emotion perspective taking and EF skills training with the same partner throughout the intervention phase. We used latent change modeling to examine initial levels (preintervention) and intervention-related changes in these measures from pre- to postintervention. Prosocial responding was found across all measures (preintervention) and improvements (pre- to postintervention change) were apparent across most measures. Age and birthplace variables were significant predictors of initial levels and intervention-related change. Initial levels: Regarding age, older children (9-12 years) showed higher levels than younger children (5-8 years) of sharing in the Forced Choice task but lower levels in the DG. Older children also showed higher levels of empathic responding when asked to report how they would feel and respond to another person\'s misfortune in the Imagine task. Regarding birthplace, prior to the intervention camp-born children showed higher levels than Myanmar-born children of helping in the Origami task and reported more behavioral responses indicating how they would respond to misfortune in the Imagine task. In contrast, Myanmar-born children had higher levels of sharing in the DG and consistently chose equality over inequality in the Forced Choice sharing task, even when their partner would receive more, indicating a pattern of generosity in these children. Myanmar-born children had lower levels than camp-born children on EF measures. Intervention-related change: Regarding age, older but not younger children were more likely to increase choices for equality over inequality on the Forced Choice sharing task following the intervention. Regarding birthplace and helping, camp-born children increased behaviors that helped their partner make origami shapes themselves (\"how-to\" helping), whereas Myanmar-born children increased behavior that took over folding for their partner (\"do-for\" helping). For sharing tasks, Myanmar-born but not camp-born children increased sharing in the DG and showed an increased pattern of generosity in Forced Choice sharing task. In the Imagine story task, children born in Myanmar were more likely than those born in camp to increase empathic responding (i.e., imagining how they would feel). Children born in Myanmar showed less improvement on EF measures than children born in the camp. Taken together, these findings provide evidence that in a context of extreme adversity, Rohingya children exhibited prosociality and benefitted from a multifaceted intervention. Our research adds credence to the view that human prosociality is a fundamental characteristic of humanity that not only survives but can be enhanced in even the most adverse of childhood environments. Our multifaceted intervention, which was implemented within a collaborative social context and targeted prosocial behaviors and related cognitive-affective processes, was designed to be easily implemented within existing psychosocial support programs in refugee contexts. As the numbers of children affected by violent conflict and forced migration rise alarmingly worldwide, there is a critical need to expand research partnerships that aim to improve developmental outcomes for these millions of children.
摘要:
亲社会行为是人性的显著特征。虽然亲社会行为出现在发展的早期,背景因素在这些行为如何在发展过程中表现出重要作用。大量的研究侧重于跨不同文化的亲社会发展的轨迹,并调查促进它的背景。在这种发展研究努力理解和加强人类合作方面的背景下,对于被迫逃离暴力冲突的儿童来说,深刻的负面力量对社会情感发展的灾难性影响。近50万罗兴亚儿童,他们的家人被迫逃离缅甸的种族灭绝,现在住在世界上最大的难民营。考察人类亲社会面对极端逆境时的韧性,我们记录了生活在大型营地中的罗兴亚难民儿童的最初亲社会水平(考克斯·巴扎尔,孟加拉国)以及在旨在促进亲社会的多方面干预后这些水平得到改善的程度。这项研究是罗兴亚社区成员与生活经验之间的伙伴关系,人道主义从业者,和发展研究人员。152名罗兴亚儿童(5-12岁)的样本参与了亲社会行为和相关认知情感过程的干预前后评估。罗兴亚研究人员在2021年11月至2022年1月之间实施了为期10天的基于合作的干预措施。出生地被用作创伤水平的替代度量。在缅甸出生的儿童(N=88)直接经历了相对较高水平的创伤(种族灭绝,强迫移民)比家人逃离缅甸后在营地出生的儿童(N=64)。用任务电池在干预前后对儿童进行了单独测试,包括一个帮助(折纸)和两个共享任务(独裁者游戏[DG],强迫选择分享)衡量亲社会行为。对相关认知情感过程的评估包括故事任务中的移情反应和情感视角的测量(想象一下,判断)和执行功能(EF)技能(较年轻:Hearts&Flowers;较大:尺寸变化卡排序)。为期10天的小组干预会议针对这些亲社会行为和认知情感过程,并基于协作活动,在整个干预阶段,与同一伙伴一起接受情感观点和EF技能培训。我们使用潜在变化模型来检查从干预前到干预后这些措施的初始水平(干预前)和与干预相关的变化。在所有措施(干预前)中都发现了亲社会反应,在大多数措施中都有明显的改善(干预前后的变化)。年龄和出生地变量是初始水平和干预相关变化的重要预测因子。初始水平:关于年龄,年龄较大的儿童(9-12岁)在强迫选择任务中的分享水平高于年龄较小的儿童(5-8岁),但在DG中的分享水平较低。当被要求报告他们在想象任务中对另一个人的不幸的感受和反应时,年龄较大的孩子也表现出更高的同理反应。关于出生地,在干预之前,营地出生的儿童比缅甸出生的儿童在折纸任务中的帮助水平更高,并报告了更多的行为反应,表明他们将如何应对想象任务中的不幸。相比之下,缅甸出生的儿童在DG中的分享水平更高,并且在强迫选择分享任务中始终选择平等而不是不平等,即使他们的伴侣会得到更多,表明了这些孩子的慷慨模式。根据EF措施,缅甸出生的儿童的水平低于营地出生的儿童。干预相关的变化:关于年龄,年龄较大但不是较小的孩子更有可能在干预后的强迫选择共享任务中增加平等的选择,而不是不平等。关于出生地和帮助,营地出生的孩子增加了帮助他们的伴侣折纸塑造自己的行为(“如何”帮助),而缅甸出生的孩子增加了为他们的伴侣接管折叠的行为(“为帮助”)。对于共享任务,缅甸出生但不是营地出生的儿童在DG中的分享增加,并在强迫选择分享任务中表现出更多的慷慨模式。在想象故事任务中,在缅甸出生的孩子比在营地出生的孩子更有可能增加同理反应(即,想象他们的感受)。在缅甸出生的儿童在EF措施方面的改善少于在营地出生的儿童。一起来看,这些发现提供了证据,在极端逆境的背景下,罗兴亚儿童表现出亲社会,并从多方面的干预中受益。我们的研究增加了这样一种观点,即人类的亲社会是人类的基本特征,不仅可以生存,而且可以在最不利的童年环境中得到增强。我们多方面的干预,这是在协作的社会背景下实施的,有针对性的亲社会行为和相关的认知情感过程,旨在在难民背景下的现有心理社会支持计划中轻松实施。随着受暴力冲突和被迫移徙影响的儿童人数在世界范围内惊人地增加,迫切需要扩大研究伙伴关系,以改善这数百万儿童的发展成果。