How is children’s development affected by moving from the country to the city?

Although urbanization is a global phenomenon that impacts many families across the world, we know very little about how the process affects children’s development. 

The researchers will be conducting a major study to assess children’s psychological development in relation to urbanization and poverty in Bhutan, Turkey and Zimbabwe.

All three countries have experienced widespread urbanization, but the transition from rural to urban life differs between them. The researchers believe this creates diversity and an opportunity to study both global and local risk and protection factors.

The studies are being conducted in interdisciplinary partnership between researchers from three continents: Bhutan, Turkey, Sweden and Zimbabwe. It will include 1,800 three to five-year-olds who have moved from rural to urban areas.

The research team is working on the assumption that the urbanization process is essentially positive for children’s development, based on the increased opportunities for their parents or guardians in the labor market, better food and changing attitudes to children and parenthood among adults in the family. But they also assume there is a period of heightened vulnerability in families that have recently abandoned the familiarity of their lives in the country for an uncertain future in a town or city. 

Initially, the parents or guardians might not always have the time and opportunity to give the children support, due to long working days, little support from friends and relatives, low incomes and poor mental health. The researchers believe this is a phase that does not differ significantly from one culture to another. But they also point out there ought to be culture-specific and individual factors that moderate the effect. 

The researchers also stress that the urbanization process is not always a positive one. If the family is too poor to establish itself in its new environment, there is a risk it will founder during the initial decline and only see a limited improvement, or no improvement at all.