Drawbacks of Children in low-income households

Children reared in low-income households have lower subcortical brain sizes and are more likely to have cognitive and behavioral problems, according to research.

Many prior research have looked at and contrasted the consequences of childhood poverty and inequalities in mental health across socioeconomic groups.

Deanna Barch, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Brain Science at Washington University in St. Louis (USA), and colleagues performed research to see whether poverty continues to impact individuals as they get older.

Luby and Barch, as well as Gregory B. Couch, professor of radiology and psychiatry at the School of Medicine, and colleagues, gathered 17 years of data from families who consented to participate, including 216 preschool children. Researchers evaluated the youngsters for cognitive performance, mental problems, high-risk behavior, educational functioning, and social functioning when they were 16 years old.

The individuals also underwent 5 brain scans over the period of 17 years to see whether changes in the brain were the way poverty "infiltrated" someone.

The findings were published in the journal Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging on July 14 and demonstrate the fundamentals.

To begin with, childhood poverty is a factor in poor results in all of these domains. Even if a child's socioeconomic position changes before maturity, this is true. Prof. Barch said, " "We believe that poverty, together with all of its related factors such as stress, poor nutrition, and limited access to health care, has an effect on brain development. We can assist minimize some of those harmful consequences if we can prevent poverty."

Children who lived in poverty while they were in preschool had numerous subcortical brain areas, including the hippocampus, caudate nucleus, putamen nucleus, and thalamus... reduced area, according to the study's findings. These brain areas serve as crucial reference points, and they are more susceptible to environmental variables like pollution and poor nutrition, which are more likely to impact impoverished individuals.

In addition to the disadvantages faced by children born into poverty, Barch pointed out that growing up in poverty makes things more difficult, but that it may be avoided: "A large number of children have negative outcomes. Despite growing up in poverty, they have achieved tremendous success as adults. This is often due to the fact that they have more assistance and resources."