Poverty

==== Mental health ====

[[File:Venezuelan eating from garbage.jpg|upright=1.15|thumb|right|A Venezuelan eating from garbage during the [[crisis in Bolivarian Venezuela]]]]

A psychological study has been conducted by four scientists during inaugural Convention of Psychological Science. The results find that people who thrive with financial stability or fall under low socioeconomic status (SES) tend to perform worse cognitively due to external pressure imposed upon them. The research found that stressors such as low income, inadequate health care, discrimination, and exposure to criminal activities all [[Causes of mental disorders#Poverty|contribute to mental disorders]]. This study also found that children exposed to poverty-stricken environments have slower cognitive thinking.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Sleek|first=Scott|date=31 August 2015|title=How Poverty Affects the Brain and Behavior|url=https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/how-poverty-affects-the-brain-and-behavior|journal=APS Observer|language=en-US|volume=28|issue=7|access-date=4 December 2019|archive-date=4 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204034250/https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/how-poverty-affects-the-brain-and-behavior|url-status=live}}</ref> It is seen that children perform better under the care of their parents and that children tend to adopt speaking language at a younger age. Since being in poverty from childhood is more harmful than it is for an adult, it is seen that children in poor households tend to fall behind in certain cognitive abilities compared to other average families.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Farah|first1=Martha J.|last2=Betancourt|first2=Laura|last3=Shera|first3=David M.|last4=Savage|first4=Jessica H.|last5=Giannetta|first5=Joan M.|last6=Brodsky|first6=Nancy L.|last7=Malmud|first7=Elsa K.|last8=Hurt|first8=Hallam|date=September 2008|title=Environmental stimulation, parental nurturance and cognitive development in humans|journal=Developmental Science|language=en|volume=11|issue=5|pages=793–801|doi=10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00688.x|pmid=18810850}}</ref>

For a child to grow up emotionally healthy, the children under three need "A strong, reliable primary caregiver who provides consistent and unconditional love, guidance, and support. Safe, predictable, stable environments. Ten to 20 hours each week of harmonious, reciprocal interactions. This process, known as attunement, is most crucial during the first 6–24 months of infants' lives and helps them develop a wider range of healthy emotions, including gratitude, forgiveness, and empathy. Enrichment through personalized, increasingly complex activities".{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} In one survey, 67% of children from disadvantaged [[inner city|inner cities]] said they had witnessed a serious assault, and 33% reported witnessing a homicide.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Atkins | first1 = M.S. | last2 = McKay | first2 = M. | last3 = Talbott | first3 = E. | last4 = Arvantis | first4 = P. | year = 1996 | title = DSM-IV diagnosis of conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder: Implications and guidelines for school mental health teams | journal = School Psychology Review | volume = 25 | issue = 3 | pages = 274–283 | doi = 10.1080/02796015.1996.12085817 }} Citing: {{cite journal | last1 = Bell | first1 = C.C. | last2 = Jenkins | first2 = E.J. | year = 1991 | title = Traumatic stress and children | journal = Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved | volume = 2 | issue = 1| pages = 175–185 | doi=10.1353/hpu.2010.0089| pmid = 1685908 | s2cid = 28660040 }}</ref> 51% of fifth graders from [[New Orleans]] (median income for a household: $27,133) have been found to be victims of violence, compared to 32% in Washington, DC (mean income for a household: $40,127).<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Atkins | first1 = M.S. | last2 = McKay | first2 = M. | last3 = Talbott | first3 = E. | last4 = Arvantis | first4 = P. | year = 1996 | title = DSM-IV diagnosis of conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder: Implications and guidelines for school mental health teams | journal = School Psychology Review | volume = 25 | issue = 3 | pages = 274–283 | doi = 10.1080/02796015.1996.12085817 }} Citing: {{cite journal|author1-link=Joy Osofsky | last1 = Osofsky | first1 = J.D. | last2 = Wewers | first2 = S. | last3 = Harm | first3 = D.M. | last4 = Fick | first4 = A.C. | year = 1993 | title = Chronic community violence: What is happening to our children? | journal = Psychiatry | volume = 56 | issue = 1 | pages = 36–45 | pmid = 8488211 | doi = 10.1080/00332747.1993.11024619 }}; and, Richters, J.E., & Martinez, P. (1993).</ref> Studies have shown that poverty changes the personalities of children who live in it. The [[Great Smoky Mountains Study]] was a ten-year study that was able to demonstrate this. During the study, about one-quarter of the families saw a dramatic and unexpected increase in income. The study showed that among these children, instances of behavioral and emotional disorders decreased, and conscientiousness and agreeableness increased.<ref name="MyUser_The_Washington_Post_October_8_2015c">{{cite web|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/10/08/the-remarkable-ways-a-little-money-can-change-a-childs-personality-for-life/|title = The remarkable thing that happens to poor kids when you give their parents a little money|newspaper = The Washington Post|access-date = 8 October 2015|archive-date = 9 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151009173154/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/10/08/the-remarkable-ways-a-little-money-can-change-a-childs-personality-for-life/|url-status = live}}</ref>