Physical spaces that enable play and contact with nature help refugee children cope with the trauma of displacementGlobally, approximately half of all refugees are children. Most of these displaced children have been forced to flee their homes due to violence or conflict. As increasing numbers of children are facing such traumas, it is critical to develop a greater understanding of how they experience places of resettlement. This research summary explores the existing research to develop a better understanding of how the physical environment of refugee settlements impact displaced children. Specifically, the study “considers how opportunities for play in the built environment may help children to deal with the trauma of displacement.”
A scoping review approach was utilized to summarize the existing research on displaced children’s experiences of place and play, and to also identify areas where more research is needed. A search of the literature focused on identifying studies of displaced children living in informal or temporary settlements as well as children with refugee status who were living in a new country. Due to a limited number of studies, a variety of publication formats were included in the search, including research articles, dissertations, guidelines, and reports. Studies were included only if they focused on children under the age of 18 and were written in English. No limitations were placed on study location or publication date. The search identified 33 studies, involving a total of more than 3500 children, that were selected for the review. The selected studies included data from Africa (5 studies), Asia (11 studies), Australia (1 study), Europe (3 studies), North America (6 studies), and South America (2 studies). Eight studies were reports or guidelines concerning play spaces for refugee children. Two studies examined childhood experiences recalled by adults. Eighteen of the studies focused on displacement due to violence or conflict and nine studies focused on displacement caused by a natural disaster. Findings across the studies were summarized using a narrative approach.
The main themes that emerged from the selected studies were place attachment and identity construction and experiences of place. Children’s place attachments and how they affected their identity when displaced were central to ten of the studies. These studies revealed how displacement can disrupt children’s place attachments and the difficulties, such as social marginalization and discrimination, children may encounter in settling in a new location. The studies also documented how displaced children construct their identities, with children often reporting that their country of origin remained central to their identity. Children also described a “hybrid” identity, in which they felt connected to their homes but also “embraced the possibility of constructing new connections to their new place.”
Within the theme experiences of place, the most important features of a place in relation to children’s experiences were identified. These included playable space, child-friendly space (CFS), natural spaces, and social spaces and connections. Playable spaces were discussed by nine studies, which indicated "that children can be inventive in finding places for playing creatively and freely,” even in inadequate conditions, and that found or informal spaces are especially important for play. Playable spaces were found to be helpful in regaining identity and negotiating a new culture. Some studies revealed how natural disasters destroyed outdoor play places and resulted in the loss of “children’s freedom to be allowed to play,” which affected their resilience and recovery post-disaster. Child-friendly spaces (CFS), which aim to prioritize children’s needs in the rebuilding of post-disaster settlements, were explored in seven studies. Overall, the studies indicate that CFS offer a protective environment that promotes and helps to support younger children’s psychological and social well-being. Natural spaces were addressed by six studies that identified the benefits of displaced children’s relationship with nature. Although only two studies specifically examined the role of nature, they highlighted the therapeutic benefits of natural landscapes, concluding that nature is a restorative place that promotes recovery for displaced children. Social spaces and connections were found to be an important support for displaced children’s recovery by nine studies. The studies indicated that play facilities and other social spaces that enable children to interact with others, and especially those with a shared history or similar ethnic background, “can help to counteract the losses of physical place.”
Overall, the study provides insight to the aspects of place and play that support displaced children; however, the researchers conclude that “given the growing number of displaced children throughout the world and global concerns about their health and well-being, there is currently an insufficient amount of relevant research.” Further, very few studies consider displaced children’s experience of place holistically or account for the many ways experiences interact. Future research might also link knowledge of the benefits of nature for “placed” children to investigations of displaced children’s experiences to clarify how the natural environment can support their recovery and resilience.
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