The affects of poverty on the development of

adolescents

By Patricia Cezeauxand

John Lawrence

Poverty and Adolescent Development

General cognitive development and behavior are closely tied to family income.

Lower income can lead to lower IQ and cognitive development scores.

The effects of poverty are severe and can last throughout a child’s education.

(Feldman, 2008)(McLellan, 2002)

Poverty and Family Life Employment issues can

lead to high mobility and low income housing.

Unsafe neighborhoods can have increased violence rates, schools with lower academic standards and resources.

Parents in these situations can lack the necessary social support and response to the child’s needs.

(Feldman, 2008)

Poverty and Peer Relations

Frustration and adjustment difficulties.

Concurrent & future behavior/academic struggles.

Symptoms that can be associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Bully/Peer victimization directly influence:

(Morales & Guerra, 2006)

Poverty’s Influence on Reading and Math

The relationship between poverty and low adolescent reading/math skills are statistically significant.

The significance was directly related to poverty’s effect on lower parenting skills.

These findings support the need for early intervention programs.

(Lee, 2009)(Emory, 2008)

Difficulties Continued:

Psychological stress.

Guilt and apathy. Depression and

delinquency. Resentment,

disorientation, and poor self-esteem.

Acculturation is the process where an adolescent is being influenced by two differing cultures (Gladding, pg. 87-88).Possible outcomes from this process include:

(Yeh & Hwang, 2000)

Neighborhood Poverty Risk Factors

Child saturation refers to the percentage of the population of a given area made up of children.

Child saturation is higher in high poverty neighborhoods.

This makes peer groups more influential

This leads to higher delinquency rates and is negatively associated with prosocial behavior.

(Hart, Atkins, and Matsuba, 2008)

Environmental Risks of Poverty

Adolescents in low-income were more likely to experience…

2. More marital discord3. Foster care for at least a week in

their lives4. Having a parent incarcerated5. Attend schools with a high turnover

rate

(Evans, 2004)

Poverty-Related Stress (PRS)

Financial worries Hunger Violence Illness Accidents Discrimination Victimization Family

transitions/changes Family conflict …And many others

This is not a comprehensive list. Also, these stressors are only related to poverty. All can be experienced in other income levels.

(Wadsworth & Santiago, 2008)

Poverty and Health

Risk factors associated with low income

Living with a smoker Living with a single

parent Not reporting a high

level of social support

Low self-esteem

(Abernathy, Webster, and Vermeulen, 2002)

Poverty and Health Adolescents in lower income groups

were more likely to be daily smokers.

They were also less likely to describe themselves as happy.

These factors led to less interest in life or physical activity.

(Abernathy, Webster, and Vermeulen, 2002)

Poverty and Early Intervention

Mother’s Day Out: Religious and Day Care Centers.

Local Head Start Program. Pre-K School Programs. Ask older neighbor, siblings, or other family

members to support reading and tutoring interventions.

Utilize available teacher support: Check if they give before/after school tutoring or mentoring.

CAMP Mentor Program= Cross-age mentoring program.

ReferencesAbernathy, T. J., Webster, G., & Vermeulen, M. (2002).

Relationship between poverty and health among adolescents. Adolescence, 37(145), 55-67.

Costello, E. J., Keeler, G.P., & Angold, A. (2001). Poverty, race/ethnicity, and psychiatric disorder: A study of rural children. American Journal of Public Health, 91(9), 1494-1498.

Dupere, V., Lacourse, E., Willms, J.D., Leventhal, T., & Tremblay, R.E. (2008). Neighborhood poverty and early transition to sexual activity in young adolescents: A developmental ecological approach. Child Development, 79(5), 1463-1476. doi:10:1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01199.x

Emory, R., Caughy, M., Harris, T. R., & Franzini, L. (2008). Neighborhood social proccesses and academic achievement in elementary school. Journal of Community Psychology, 36(7), 885-898. doi:10./002/jcop.20266

ReferencesEvans, G. W. (2004). The environment of childhood poverty.

American Psychologist, 59(2), 77-92. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.59.2.77

Feldman, R. S. (2008). Development across the lifespan. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall

Gladding, S. T. (2009). Counseling: A comprehensive profession. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Hart, D., Atkins, R., & Matsuba, M. (2008). The association of neighborhood poverty with personality change in childhood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94(6), 1048-1061. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.94.6.1048

ReferencesLee, K. (2009). The bidirectional effects of early poverty

on children’s reading and home environment scores: Associations and ethnic differences. Social Work Research, 33(2), 79-94.

McLellan, F. (2002). Countering poverty’s hindrance of neurodevelopment. The Lancet, 359, 236.

Morales, J. R. & Guerra, N. G. (2006). Effects of multiple context and cumulative stress on urban children’s adjustment in elementary school. Child Development, 77(4), 907-923.

ReferencesSapolsky, R. (2005). Sick of poverty. Scientific

American, 293(6), 92-99.

Wadsworth, M. E. & Santiago, C. D. (2008). Risk and resiliency processes in ethnically diverse families in poverty. Journal of Family Psychology, 22(3), 399-410.

Yeh, C. J. & Huang, M. Y. (2000). Interdependence in ethnic identity and self: Implications for theory and practice. Journal of Counseling and Development, 78, 420-429.