Poverty and Child Psychopathology - Research Paper Example

?Poverty and Child Psychopathology The development of psychology has witnessed corresponding shifts in examining the factors that interrelate mental health and the individual’s environment. Within this context of investigation a number of prominent links have been established. One of the most prominent examinations in terms of environmental affects on mental health occurs in terms of poverty and child psychopathology. A growing body of research has emerged that attests to the negative affects of poverty on children’s mental health. This essay examines how poverty affects child psychopathology. When considering the affects of poverty on child psychopathology it’s necessary to consider the expansive nature of mental health. In these regards, researchers have oftentimes focused on psychopathology in terms of behavioral problems and other dysfunctional or deviant behaviors that have emerged as a direct result of poverty. When these behavioral dysfunctions are considered the link between poverty and childhood mental illness becomes highly pronounced. Hirst (2000, pg. 23) states, The ONS survey -- the first major one of its kind -- shows that children from social class V (unskilled workers) are three times more likely to have a mental health problem than the offspring of social class I (professionals), and twice as likely as those in social class Il (employers and managers). What's more, 10 per cent of children from social class V have conduct disorders compared with 3 per cent from social class I. This statistical research reveals an important link between poverty and childhood mental problems. In these regards, it’s important to consider the overarching nature of this statistical data. In these regards, it demonstrates that the link between poverty and child psychopathology is a pervasive concern that is not only qualitative in nature, but also has been quantified in terms of social class and employment levels. Still, it’s recognized that while this data demonstrates a strong correlation between poverty and childhood psychopathology, it fails to indicate the specific mechanisms that such processes occur. When further considering the links between poverty and childhood psychopathology a number of specific factors emerge. In terms of this area of investigation one of the obvious research considerations has been the connection between poverty and social exclusion (Hirsch 2000; Rutter 2003). This is a broad ranging issue as the nature of social exclusion assumes an almost countless array of contexts. One of the most prominent among child mental health concerns has been the nature of children experiencing poverty attempting to function in environments of relative affluence. For a variety of socio-economic reasons these children have oftentimes experienced social exclusion; for example they lack the same access to entertainment options, clothing, or fashion. This social exclusion has then been linked to deteriorating mental health and behavioral problems. Another prominent consideration in terms of the connection between children’s psychopathology and poverty considers the broader environmental influences that poverty creates. In terms of environmental factors and child psychopathology research has predominantly examined such questions from a qualitative perspective (Costello, Compton, Angold 2003; Rutter 2003). In these regards, one concern has been the transitory lifestyle nature of individuals living at the poverty level. As families struggle with financial matters the consequence is that oftentimes they move to different homes, communities, and even states. The resulting affect on the child can be drastic. For instance, the child can increasingly find itself struggling to establish meaningful social relationships, affecting his or her developmental progress (Rutter 2003). Another prominent concern in these regards is that households of poverty oftentimes demonstrate poor parent/child interaction (Mash 2002). This interaction takes on a variety of forms, including an overriding lack of parental warmth, to a lack of parental supervision. It is no surprise then that behavioral problems or even more pronounced mental health issues emerge. While a strong amount of research attests to a strong connection between poverty and child psychopathology, arguments have been raised that question the extent that poverty is detrimental to childhood mental health. One of the most prominent considerations in these regards has been advanced in research by Costello, Compton, Angold (2001, pg. 2023). In this context of investigation, the study revealed that, “In this rural sample, poverty was only weakly associated with child psychiatric disorders.” This is a complex assessment, as it does not necessarily indicate that there is not a connection between poverty and child psychopathology, but instead indicates that there may be other environmental factors that operate in conjunction with poverty to affect mental health. Notably, this study also examined the affects of poverty on psychopathology in terms of race, demonstrating that there was only slight differential between whites and African Americans, with whites having slightly higher rates of mental illness. Even as some research has indicated that there is a lack of statistical correlation between poverty and childhood, it seems readily apparent that there are a strong amount of considerations within this perspective. One of the prominent considerations in these regards is that oftentimes the extent and persistence of poverty has been shown to play a major factor in the relation between poverty and psychopathology (Hinshaw 2008; Costello, Compton, Angold 2003). A prominent study that examined this correlation was Costello, Compton, Angold (2003). This study examined children’s psychopathology with a control group and a section of children whose families received significant financial gain during the course of the study. The results indicated that, after the opening levels among the ex-poor fell to those of the never- poor children, while levels among those who were persistently poor remained high (odds ratio, 1.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.09; and odds ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.77-1.07, respectively). The effect was specific to symptoms of conduct and oppositional defiant disorders (Costello, Compton, Angold 2003). In these regards, it’s clear that the level and persistence of poverty play important roles in terms of childhood mental health. Other research has further examined the intensity of poverty situations (Hinshaw 2008). These studies have revealed that in addition to the longevity of poverty situations, the more stringent poverty levels have been demonstrated to have correspondingly more stringent affects on children’s mental health. Still, in both instances it’s noted that poverty only affects specific types of child psychopathological concerns. For instance, child anxiety and depressive symptoms have been indicated to be non-affected by the persistence levels of the poverty situation. In addition to these considerations, a review of the research leads one to question to the structural articulation of much of the psychopathological or mental health disorders as linked to poverty. In these regards, it seems highly possible that a bias exists in the research wherein individuals existing and functional within a poverty-stricken cultural environment have an increasingly propensity to be labeled In conclusion, this essay has examined the affects of poverty on child psychopathology. In this context of understanding, it’s revealed that qualitative and quantitative research both prominently attest to ability of poverty to negatively affect children’s mental health. Still, this essay has demonstrated that while from an overarching context there is an undeniable link between poverty and psychopathology, in large part these connections need to be examined in terms of specific environmental, economic, and longevity concerns. Still, there is surprisingly strong quantitative research that connects poverty and psychopathology. While this research has important ramifications for childhood mental development and health, it also is significant as it further establishes prominent environmental influences on human psychological functioning outside of biological concerns. Ultimately, further research need be conducted on the specific aspects of poverty as linked to specific aspects of psychopathology. References Costello, E., Compton, S. N., Keeler, G., & Angold, A. (2003). Relationships Between Poverty and Psychopathology: A Natural Experiment. JAMA: Journal Of The American Medical Association, 290(15), 2023-2029. E. Jane Costello, PhD, Gordon P. Keeler, MS, and Adrian Angold, (2001) Poverty, Race/Ethnicity, and Psychiatric Disorder: A Study of Rural Children Am J Public Health. September; 91(9): 1494–1498. Hinshaw, Steven. (2008). Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. Wiley. Hirst, J. (2000). Have our kids gone mad?. New Statesman, 129(4468), 23. Mash, Eric. (2002). Child Psychopathology. The Guilford Press. Rutter, M. (2003, October 15). Poverty and Child Mental Health: Natural Experiments and Social Causation. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association. pp. 2063-2064. Read More