Environmental Shocks and Child Fostering: Evidence from the 2010 Haiti Earthquake

This study examined the impact of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and its downstream effects, on child fostering. Using data from the 2005–2006 and 2012 Demographic and Health Surveys, we assessed whether and how the presence and number of in- and out-fostered children changed before and after earthquake exposure. We used a difference-in-differences approach to compare changes in fostering between households in regions that were heavily affected by the earthquake with those in moderately-exposed areas, controlling for a variety of potential confounders. The results showed no significant overall difference in child fostering rates by earthquake intensity. However, these average estimates mask variation among affected populations by socioeconomic status. For households with better-educated members, who we assumed had more social and economic resources, the earthquake had a negative impact on in-fostering, reducing the probability of having any in-fostered children and the expected number of in-fosters. These findings suggest that higher-status households who typically received in-fosters experienced reduced capacity to care for additional household members after the earthquake. We found no earthquake effects on fostering among households with less-educated members. These results indicate that natural disasters can have significant, but often nuanced, impacts on family structure and child welfare. Importantly, the study’s findings and limitations also raise questions about the placements of orphaned children who were not absorbed into households.