The Effects of Living in Poverty on Child Development

Dr. Hilsmier Spring 2014Brittany Crabtree

Poverty:

• Poverty is the state of having little to no money or means of support.

• In recent years, poverty has risen in the United States (Komro, Flay, & Biglan, 2011) .

• The number of children living in poverty in America is higher than in most industrialized nations.

Poverty Rate for Children

• Poverty among children began rising even before the War on Poverty.

• Since the 2008 financial crisis childhood poverty has fallen again.

Source: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/13/whos-poor-in-america-50-years-into-the-war-on-poverty-a-data-portrait/

Main Points

• The effect of poverty on the mental, emotional, and physical development of children.

• How families functions within the context of poverty.

• Strategies for a creating a positive environment within poverty.

Cognitive Development

• Mental or cognitive development is defined as having age appropriate cognitive skills and executive functioning (Komro et al., 2011). – Vocabulary, language processing skills, numeric

awareness• Children living in poverty are exposed to 1,500

words less each hour than children that live within a higher SES (Bellafante, 2012).

Emotional Development

• Emotional development consists of age appropriate social interactions, interpretation of social cues, and the ability to control emotional responses (Komro et al., 2011).

• Emotional self-regulation is more likely to develop in children who live in an environment with positive interactions and supportive relationships.

Physical Development

• Children who live in poverty suffer from preventable health problems, such as type 2 diabetes and asthma, at a higher rate than children living with a higher SES (Komro et al., 2011).

• Major risk factors for these health conditions are prevalent in low-income living conditions because of the lack of money and resources.

Family Functioning

• The way a family functions plays a major role in how children develop (Mistry & Wadsworth, 2011).

• When families are under economic strain it can cause unnecessary stress in the lives of both the parents and the children.

Strategies for a Positive Environment

• Quality and Positive Education• Health Education Programs• After School Activities

Discussion of Research

• The current research concerning the effects of poverty on child development is abundant and strong.

• Issues in child development still exist for children living in poverty even though research has provided many strategies for improvement.

Resources:• Bellafante, G. (2012). Before a test, a poverty of words. The New York Times.

Retrieved May 7, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/nyregion/for-poor-schoolchildren-a-poverty-of-words.html?_r=1&

• Komro, K. A., Flay, B. R., & Biglan, A. (2011). Creating nurturing environments: A science-based framework for promoting child health and development within high-poverty neighborhoods. Clinical Child & Family Psychology Review, 14(2), 111-134.

• Mistry, R. S., & Wadsworth, M. E. (2011). Family functioning and child development in the context of poverty. Prevention Researcher, 18(4), 11-15.

• http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/13/whos-poor-in-america-50-years-into-the-war-on-poverty-a-data-portrait/