Posted: January 9, 2025
Dry weather may affect kinship care patterns.
Photo: Penn State
Shifting weather caused by climate change is linked to more children raised outside of their biological parents' households in sub-Saharan Africa, according to College of Agricultural Sciences researchers.
Their study found that when households experienced less-than-typical precipitation in the year prior, they were less likely to add a foster child. Among households with the most children, precipitation deficits increased likelihood a child would be sent to live elsewhere, said Brian Thiede, associate professor of rural sociology, sociology and demography.
—Katie Bohn
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