children and poverty - national association of …...children and poverty ross a. thompson...
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![Page 1: Children and Poverty - National Association of …...Children and Poverty Ross A. Thompson Department of Psychology University of California, Davis Presentation to the National Association](https://reader034.vdocument.in/reader034/viewer/2022042408/5f245cd0efe7ec53fe5ef376/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Children and PovertyRoss A. Thompson
Department of PsychologyUniversity of California, Davis
Presentation to the National Association of Counties Annual Conference - Early Childhood Development Summit
Columbus, July 22, 2017
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Childrenunder3byFamilyIncomeintheUnitedStates
Lessthan100%FederalPovertyLevel
100%-200%FederalPovertyLevel
Above200%FederalPovertyLevel
25%
23%52%
NationalCenterforChildreninPoverty,2015
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What we know
Growing up in poverty is a powerful predictor of negative long-term outcomes for children
These outcomes are caused by low family income, not by other conditions
Poverty has such a significant impact because it affects children’s development on multiple levels
These influences begin very early, but they can be changed
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Familystress• maritaldifficulty• parentaldepression• poorerparenting/planning
Economic stresses• housing instability• lower school quality• poor health care• risky neighborhoods
Emotional stresses• social isolation• parental stress• substance abuse risk• legal problems
Child'scompetenceandself-concept
• lowself-esteem• beliefsaboutpovertyandthepossibilityofchange• statusanxiety/stereotypethreat
Childfunctioning• poorercognitivegrowth&
educationalachievement• behavioralandemotionalproblems• poorerhealthoutcomes• pooreradultemployment&income• greaterdepression• loweraspirationsforsuccess
Developmentalbiology• stressneurophysiology• immunefunctioning• autonomicnervoussystem• braindevelopment(esp.language,memory,self-regulation)• epigeneticeffectsofearlystress
Mechanisms of the effects of poverty on children
Neighborhood/Community
•loweconomicopportunity•fewfamilysupports•poorchildcare/schools•limitedhumancapital
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Hippocampus
Frontal Lobes
Temporal Lobes
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Can these poverty-related effects be changed?
• Family stress is directly linked to the availability of resources and supports that parents experience; parenting improves when adults experience reliable support
• Children's expectations and aspirations for success are malleable, especially when they are supported by children's experiences in school and at home
• Carefully-designed interventions show that biological systems disrupted by chronic stress can be normalized over time
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Policy implications
• Expansion of safety net programs can benefit children and reduce the intergenerational transmission of poverty
• Because of the malleability of early psychological and biological growth, particular attention to early childhood is warranted
• Two-generation interventions addressing both parental and child needs are also promising approaches
• Child-centered interventions that recognize the "under the skin" biological as well as behavioral consequences of economic insecurity are likely to be most helpful