Poverty is a serious condition that afflicts millions of people around the world. Particularly distressing is when poverty affects the lives of children. Poverty can cause
hunger, poor living conditions, and the need for children to work at an earlier age. Additionally, a recent study conducted by researchers at Penn State University, New York University, and Chapel Hill found that
stress induced by poverty can affect kids by lowering their ability to perform well in school. Unfortunately, this is just another negative side-effect of a wide-spread problem.
Elevated Stress Inhibits the Thinking Process
The study examined 1,300 students during the course of 7 to 24 months, taking into account the youngsters' household environment as well as other lifestyle elements including the amount of parental involvement in each child's education, each child's sensitivity, etc. Cortisone, a stress hormone, was measured in order to determine the children's stress levels. The researchers found that poverty stricken children had a higher level of stress than the average child. Stress is known to affect the executive functions of the brain, such as independent thinking. The study showed that children as young as 3 years old could be adversely affected by an increased stress level. It also showed that stress levels were often more elevated in African American children than in Caucasian children.
The Stress of Poverty Has Lasting Effects
An elevated stress level is known deteriorate the health of adults. It can be traced as the cause of several diseases, including heart disease, and can lead to a higher mortality rate. The effects of elevated stress levels on children are less readily apparent because kids don't typically suffer from such a malady. This study shows that even at a very young age, stress can result from something as prevalent as poverty. It demonstrates that stress can lead to other lifestyle problems such an increased chance of an inhospitable living environment, less parental attention, and lower grades in school. This study also seems to show that a child who starts life as poor may be handicapped for a long time, throughout his learning career. By resolving the issue of poverty, a child's stress tends to diminish and the effects of stress aren't as dominant.
A Solution is yet to be Found
Ending the cycle of poverty is an extremely daunting challenge, and few people manage to do so. Poverty is an even direr situation when faced with raising children, especially considering there is no perfect solution to poverty's ill effects. Perhaps additional studies could pinpoint simple yet effective ways in which to eradicate the adverse effects of poverty on children.
