The Psychology of Trauma and Resilience in Families: Strengths in Immigrant and Refugee Communities

We often wish we knew how some families and children develop resiliency and are able to triumph in spite of adversity, while others seem unable to rise above their challenges. In examining these important questions, Dr. Watamura is researching the neurobiological and psychological developments in families with young children–in both the children and the parents. She will help us understand the biological and psychological impacts of trauma for both children and adults, with a focus on the biological embedding of resilience. Her research encompasses newcomer families (immigrant and refugee families) in the United States, and guides us to consider the implications for infant and family mental health. This is a timely and important topic for the many disciplines that touch the lives of young children and families, and will increase our awareness of the physiology of resilience.

Sarah Enos Watamura, PhD is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Denver where she directs the Child Health & Development Lab and co-directs the Stress, Early Experience and Development (SEED) Research Center. After training with Megan Gunnar, PhD, at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development, she received her PhD from the Department of Human Development at Cornell University in 2005. She has longstanding interests in children¹s physiologic regulation, their development within caregiving contexts, and in understanding mechanisms and trajectories from early life experiences to later physical health, mental health, cognitive/educational, and socio-emotional outcomes. Her work focuses on the role of adverse, protective and promotive factors in families experiencing poverty and among newly immigrated and refugee families. Research approaches include psychological (interview, clinical assessment), biological (brain imaging, epigenetics, hormone assessment), cognitive (standardized testing), and basic biometric (BMI, resting heart rate) measurement

For further information, please contact:

The Institute for Parenting

p – 516.237.8513

e – theinstituteforparenting@adelphi.edu