We present the academic research work being carried out by Dr. María Cristina Richaud, academic director of the Master's Program in Intervention in Vulnerable Populations at the Institute of Family Sciences and senior researcher at CONICET. She tells us about her research focused on the development and intervention in children in situations of social vulnerability.

Dr. Richaud recounts how her research program began after observing the lack of affection and support in children attending community kitchens during socioeconomic crises. "The primary bonds formed in the first years of life are repeated throughout life, unless there is intervention," Richaud notes.

Her team works to diagnose and then intervene to improve children's living conditions. Before their intervention, only 20% of children completed secondary school. Thanks to their work, this percentage has increased to 90%. Dr. Richaud's main lines of research focus on basic developmental variables, such as attachment and empathy in children, and their relationship to other important psychological processes at these ages. They also study the cognitive, socio-emotional, and linguistic abilities of children in vulnerable urban, marginalized, and rural situations.

“Many of these children experience pathological control and neglect in their homes,” Richaud explains. “We conduct research that has social impact, diagnosing and then intervening to offer strategies that modify adverse situations.”

María Cristina's work has been recognized internationally, earning her the American Psychological Association's award in 2013 for her contributions to the development of international psychology. Although her greatest impact has been in Latin America, her research has also been presented at major international conferences.

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