Running head: EFFECTS OF POVERTY ON CHILDERN

The Negative Effects of Poverty on a Childs Overall Well-Being

Allison Briede, Christian Koch, Katie Rohrscheib & Kalif Wright
Miami University

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Abstract

Every year millions of children suffer from the effects of poverty every day. The object of this
paper is to examine how poverty affects a childs overall well-being in accordance to 5
components that include physical, spiritual, intellectual, social and environmental health. There
is also a discussion of possible solutions to this ongoing problem. Many creditable, peer
reviewed articles were used in the production of this research project, as well as a interview with
a professional in the field, Boys and Girls Club of America team leader Marvin White. A survey
was conducted for this paper to test the knowledge of college age students on the effects that
poverty poses for children and the results are used throughout the paper.

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The ASPE (Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation), a branch of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services has a set of guidelines for determining the federal
poverty line. There are different components that are taken into consideration when defining the
federal poverty line. It depends on the total number of members in a family and the amount of
income that family receives in one year. If a family has less income than the threshold set for the
number of members, than that family is considered to be below the federal poverty line. The
threshold is lowest amount of income a family can live off of set by the government. For
example a family that has 4 members has a threshold of $24,250(ASPE, 2015). According to
Legacy for Children, one in five Americans under the age of 18 lives in a family below the
Federal Poverty Line. This accounts for approximately 15 million children in the United States.
As a result, a childs overall well-being is being negatively affected by living below the federal
poverty line. This paper refers to well-being in accordance to Aureal Mirea Nitas peer reviewed
article Multidimensional Aspects of Well-being in the Public Administration. Nitas aspects of
well-being include physical, spiritual, intellectual, social and environmental health (Nita, 2015).
Living in poverty has detrimental effects to a childs physical health. Even at birth
children of mothers with low socioeconomic status are more likely to have low birth weight,
which creates an increased likelihood of physical health problems and disabilities. Mothers who
live under the poverty line are 80% more likely to have a low birth weight babies than those
above the poverty line (Brookes-Gunn & Duncan, 1997). Although malnutrition and starvation
are rare among children in poverty in the US compared to other countries, nutritional deficits are
not uncommon and can lead to growth stunting (Brookes-Gunn & Duncan, 1997). Not only does
poverty have an effect on the childs health growing up, but also has been shown to affect them
later in life. Growing up in poverty has been linked to adult health problems, like premature

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mortality, respiratory illness, and cardiovascular disease (Miller, 2013). Adults who grew up in
homes below the poverty line showed a 45% prevalence of obesity, whereas 26% of adults who
grew up in homes with income at least double the poverty line were obese (Duncan, Kalil, &
Ziol-Guest, 2013). Hypertension is seen in 25% of adults that grew up in poverty compared to
9% in adults that grew up in homes that made at least double the threshold for poverty (Duncan
et al., 2013). Stress is an enormous component of poverty that harms physical health. Chronic
stress from growing up in poverty can harm a child's hormonal and immune functions that can
lead to disease later in life. There are many situations that children living in poverty are more
likely to be exposed to that can have harmful effects on their health. These children may live in
crowded homes that provide inadequate nutrition and more exposure to secondhand smoke,
dangerous microorganisms, and industrial pollutants (Miller & Chen, 2013). Since these children
have trouble meeting their basic needs, they may engage in unhealthy behaviors. These
behaviors may include cigarette smoking, a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle, leading to obesity.
Poverty can compromise a childs physical health and development, leading to both short-term
and long-term effects.
Living in poverty has been shown to affect childrens mental health as well as their
spirituality. Low socioeconomic status, which is usually measured in levels of income and
education, can have negative affects mental health. Many factors related to poverty contribute to
this decline in mental health. One very influential factor is an increase in stress for both the child
and the caregiver. Poverty increases a mothers stress due to factors like job loss, chronic strains,
poor housing, dangerous neighborhoods, and depressive symptoms (Beeber, Perreira &
Schwartz, 2008). This maternal stress can have negative effects on the children of these mothers.
It has been found that infants of depressed mothers talk less, are more irritable, and less playful

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and adventurous (Beeber et al., 2008). Poverty also creates unhealthy levels of stress in the
child which can affect intellectual development like language development and memory.
Poverty is associated with lower IQ scores and less academic success (Lende, 2012). It was
found that on average middle-class children have vocabularies of about 12000 words, while
children in poverty have only 4000 words (Beeber et al., 2008). In addition to intelligence,
poverty has been highly correlated with mental and behavioral disorders. Research has shows
that deprivation that comes with poverty early in life greatly impacts a childs adult life.
Children that grow up in poverty show higher rates of depression, anxiety, attention problems
and conduct disorders throughout their life (Lende, 2012). It has also been shown that the longer
a child lives in poverty, the larger the negative effect will be on his or her adult life. A closely
related aspect of wellness is spiritual health. Surprisingly, there is a strong, positive correlation
between religious devotion and poverty. This is the one area of wellness that seems to be
positively affected by poverty. In her article, Miller gives a few ideas for why this positive
correlation might exist. She suggests that people who live in environments that do not provide a
safety net or many opportunities for growth, are more likely to rely on religion for comfort
(Miller, 2014). Another explanation for this is that people may have their basic needs provided
for by the church. These could include free childcare, food pantries, and clothing drives (Miller,
2014). A final theory is that those suffering in poverty may attribute their pain to a higher
purpose or part of Gods plan (Miller, 2014).
Social relationships consist of one interacting with others, such as family, friends, peers
of the immediate community. While even though one may come to think that poverty doesnt
necessarily play a role in the relationships one has socially, from the quality or specific types of
relationships, it in fact does in both positive and negative ways. People in poverty are more likely

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to find that their social relationships are at the extreme ends of the spectrum. They are either
supportive and positive, having a close knit family and or friends who will have their back and
be the backbone of their lives, or either their relationships will be torn and they will feel like they
are out on their own and that they are in a harsh dog-eat-dog world in which they have to act out
on to prove themselves. This all can start within the most important relationship being affected
due to poverty, the Parent-Child relationship. This relationship is the primary bond in which
children grow and learn, and if the family is under the poverty line, it is likely for the relationship
to be lacking in support, vocal and emotional stimulation. There will be a lower response
frequency from the parents to the childs needs, and the overall relationship will be more punitive
and coercive. All these things lead to a lack of social development due to the parents not being
able to support the child, let alone themselves and as a result the child suffers and learns
unhealthy demeanors and a way of life.
Environmental relationships among those of poverty may be stereotypical and obvious, as
typically if someone were to picture poverty stricken areas they would claim them to be run
down, more jeopardized, less educated, and a little more dangerous, all in which would be true.
There is generally less opportunity in areas of poverty and the resources are vague. There are
several obstacles, deficits and threats to health inherent in poverty. It is the poor who are exposed
to dangerous environments, who (if employed) often have stressful, unrewarding and
depersonalizing work, who lack the necessities and amenities of life and who, because they are
not part of the mainstream of society, are isolated from information and support (Murali).
There isnt a whole lot going on in areas of such, reasoning out to be a possibility why drug and
alcohol dependency is dramatically higher in areas of poverty than not. People of these areas are
more or less fending for themselves in which dealing drugs and being associated with illegal

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issues is a common thing. The rate of crime and violence that goes on in these areas are increased
as well. Along with this, there also is a trend of child in poverty end up being home-schooled.
Within that they are deprived in a way to get out and meet others and be among the community,
if they continue to grow up this way, they will more likely to become more independent, less
sociable, and possibly likely to develop habits that will cause them harm or put them in harms
way.

Although finding a solution to the problem is easier said than done, there are many steps we as
Americans can take to lessen the effects of poverty on a child. The most important is to raise
awareness. Sadly, many Americans are unaware of how many children are living in poverty in
the United States. As seen in the table below, only 13.64% of the 22 respondents answered
correctly about how many children in the Unites States were living below the poverty line
(appendix A: survey questions). However, the results from this survey show something even
more disturbing. Between 40-50% of respondents answered questions regarding the negative
effects of poverty correctly. These questions pertained to depression, lack of healthcare, health
mental, and risks of dropping out of school.
Table 1: Results from Survey

Question
number

Correct answer

Most popular answer

15 million (13.64%)

10 million (77.27%)

1 in 3 (45.45%)

1 in 5 (50%)

40-59% (54.55%)

40-59% (54.55%)

8000 words (22.73%)

5000 words (68.18%)

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61% (40.91%)

74% (45.45%)

32% (45.45%)

32% (45.45%)

87% (50%)

87% (50.0%)

57% (45.45%)

57% (45.45%)

5 times more likely

(27.27%)

4 times more likely

(45.45%)

10

7 times more likely

(59.09%)

7 times more likely

(59.09%)

Since researching the effects of living below the federal poverty line has on children, it is
important to examine possible solutions or already existing programs. One organization that has
a lot of success and very popular is the Boys and Girls Club of America. This organization has
many programs that target most if not all of Nitas aspects of well-being. Marvin White, a leader
at the Boys and Girls Club of America Covington Kentucky branch, spoke very highly of the
success rates of their programs. White says in an interview Our programs focus on three main
issues that children in poverty are experiencing, educational success, lack of physical activity
and community involvement(White, personal communication Nov. 9). These specific programs
reached out to approximately 180 children 5-18 years old in their area. One interesting program
that White talked about was the Ready to Serve program. They take the children around their
community to pick up trash, plant flowers, and other environment building activities. As stated
earlier, a safe and healthy environment is one aspect of well-being that is negatively affected.
Although this organization has many great programs, we think one program that Covington
Branch should use is the somewhat like the Big Brother Big Sister program. This program would
allow younger children to have role models of older children who live/have lived in poverty as
well as older children having the opportunity to be a role model for someone else. Many times

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children in poverty lack confidence as well as motivation. This program would be very idealistic
for a small community working together to lighten the effects of poverty on children.

References
Beeber, L. S., Perreira, K. M., & Schwartz, T. (2008). Supporting the Mental Health of Mothers
Brooks-Gunn, J., & Duncan, G. (1997). The Effects of Poverty on Children. The Future of
Children, 55-55.
Duncan, G. J., Kalil, A., & Ziol-Guest, K. M. (2013). Early childhood poverty and adult
achievement, employment and health. Family Matters, (93), 27-35.
Fox, R., Mattek, R., & Gresl, B. (2013). Evaluation of a University-Community Partnership to
Lende, D. H. (2012). POVERTY POISONS THE BRAIN. Annals of Anthropological Practice,
36(1). 183-201.
Miller, G. E., & Chen, E. (2013). The Biological Residue of Childhood Poverty. Child
Development Perspectives, 7(2),
Miller, M. (2014, August 27). Why Are the Poor More Religious? Retrieved November 8, 2015.
Murali, V., & Oyebode, F. (2004). Poverty, social inequality and mental health. Advances in
Psychiatric Treatment, 10 (3), 216-224. doi:10.1192/apt. 10.3.216
NI, A. M. (2015). MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASPECTS OF WELL-BEING IN THE PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION. Juridical Current, 18(2), 35-48.
Provide Home-Based, Mental Health Services for Children from Families Living in Poverty.
Community Mental Health Journal, 49(5), 599-610 12p. doi:10.1007/s10597-012-9545-7
Raising Children in Poverty.Annals Of The New York Academy Of Sciences, 113686-100.
doi:10.1196/annals.1425.008
Santiago, C.D., Kaltman, S., & Miranda, J. (2013). Poverty and Mental Health: How Do LowIncome Adults and Children Fare in Psychotherapy?. Journal Of Clinical Psychology, 69(2),
115-126.
2015 Poverty Guidelines. (2015, September 29). Retrieved November 1, 2015

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Appendix A
Survey Questions
1. In the United States, how many children (18 years old and younger) are living below
federal poverty line as of 2009? 15 million
2. Of these children what is the probability that they will later be diagnosed with a mental
health disorder? 1 in 3
3. What percentage of mothers in poverty show depressive symptoms or depression? 4059%
4. By third grade, on average how much less developed is a childs vocabulary living in
poverty compared to that of a middle-class child of the same age? 8000 words
5. Out of all the teens living in poverty in the United States, what percentage are African
American? 61% - 2.1 million
6. Of those children in poverty, what percent has at least one parent with a full time, year
around? 32%- 5.6 million

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7. Children in poverty often are not insured for the healthcare they need. What percent of
uninsured children are not receiving needed care for mental health? 87%
8. Of all the children diagnosed with mental health disorders, what percentage of them live
at or below the federal poverty line? 57%
9. How many times more likely are children in poverty to die from an infectious disease
than children above poverty? 5 times more likely
10. How much more likely are 16 to 24 years old students who come from low income
families to drop out of school than those who come from families with higher income? 7
times more likely

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