Kin and Community Support for Orphans in Cambodia

描述(由申请者提供)：这个项目的主要目的是促进我们对影响孤儿的机制的理解，特别是通过比较遗传亲缘关系和社会规范在育儿行为方面的重要性。具体而言，该项目旨在衡量(1)在童年期间失去父母和/或父亲的个人以及在照顾孤儿的家庭中长大的人成年后的潜在劣势；(2)孤儿的劣势在多大程度上取决于与养父母的亲属关系；(3)在寄养孤儿和亲生子女方面，父母和子女之间的团结纽带有多大不同，并因社会环境的不同而不同。这一研究项目以柬埔寨为背景，在1975年至1979年的危机中，许多儿童失去了父母中的一人，而且往往两人都失去了父母。在那次危机中，该国近25%的人口死亡，不同寻常的是，中年至老年人受到的打击尤为严重。该项目需要收集和分析关于这些孤儿及其随后的成年过渡的数据。样本将来自人口监测系统(DSS)，该系统涵盖整个社区，捕捉成员家庭之间最重要的关系。此外，在早期R03的支持下成功实施的DSS方法，在这里与社区的随机选择相结合，以增加代表性、环境多样性和样本量。特别是，这一设计允许识别孤儿及其子女的前养父母。该项目的较长期目标是促进关于向成年期过渡的生物和社会决定因素相互作用的科学知识，扩大数据收集的传统方法，并为柬埔寨的研究能力建设做出贡献。在经历成人死亡率回升的国家，预计会出现孤儿危机。在这种死灰复燃是由传染病推动的地方，连续失去双亲的孤儿的比例特别可能会增加。要维持这些孤儿的健康和福利，并为他们成功过渡到成年作出贡献，需要全面了解孤儿在童年期间受到父母一方或双方丧失的影响或受到保护的机制。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project aims broadly at advancing our understanding of the mechanisms that affect orphaned children, in particular by comparing the importance of genetic relatedness and of social norms with respect to parenting behavior. Specifically, the project will aim at measuring (1) potential disadvantages in adulthood among individuals who lost their mother and/or father during childhood and among those who grew up in households caring for orphans; (2) the extent to which any orphan disadvantage depends on the kinship to the foster parents; and (3) the degree to which solidarity bonds between parents and children differ for fostered orphans v. biological children and vary across social environments. This research project is set in Cambodia, where many children lost one, and often both, parents during the 1975-79 crisis, in which nearly 25 percent of the entire population died, and uncharacteristically, middle-aged to older adults were hit particularly hard. The project entails the collection and analysis of data on these orphans and on their subsequent transition to adulthood. The sample will be drawn from a demographic surveillance system (DSS) that, encompassing entire communities, captures the most significant relationships among member households. Moreover, the DSS approach, which has been successfully implemented with earlier support from an R03, is combined here with the random-selection of communities to increase representatively, environment diversity and sample size. In particular, this design allows for the identification of former foster parents of orphans and of their own children. The project's longer term aims are to advance scientific knowledge on the interaction of biological and social determinants of the transition to adulthood, to expand traditional methods of data collection, and to contribute to research capacity-building in Cambodia. Orphan crises are expected in countries experiencing resurgence in adult mortality. Where this resurgence is driven by infectious diseases, the proportion of orphans who loose both parents in succession is particularly likely to increase. To maintain the health and welfare of these orphans and contribute to their successful transition to adulthood requires a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms through which orphans are affected by, or protected from, the loss of one or both parents during childhood.