Introduction
Childhood poverty is a pervasive and prevalent societal problem with significant adversarial impacts on their mental health. Findings from multiple studies illustrate that young ones from impoverished backgrounds are at an increased risk of developing depression than those in a high socioeconomic environment. Notably, households with low levels of income experience many forms of deprivation and suffer from an increased number of finance-related stressors. These socioeconomic hardships lead to the emergence of depressive symptoms in parents, contributing to the decline in the quality of parenting and the development of psychological and behavioral problems in children. For instance, strained finances make parents less affectionate and responsive to their children, leading to poor child-parent relationships, reduced investment in education, and such internalizing problems as depressive symptoms. This implies that stressful parental experiences emanating from low socioeconomic status contribute significantly to childhood depression.
Additionally, parental stress triggered by financial problems leads to family conflicts, which influence parenting behaviors and mental health outcomes in children. For instance, poverty and economic pressures contribute to interparental and child-parent conflicts. In this regard, low socioeconomic status is an influential factor in family dynamics and a precursor to children’s overall mental wellbeing. Various studies illustrate that low incomes lead to such problems as reduced family commitment and child resentment towards parents, which are associated with psychological and behavioral challenges in young ones. Therefore, low socioeconomic status is a major contributor to childhood depression.
Prevalence of Childhood Depression
Depression among children is a major global public health concern that disproportionately affects youths from low-income backgrounds. According to Yilmaz, Ozcan, Gokoglu, and Turkyilmaz (2021), depression ranks among the most occurring mental health problem among children and adolescents. Prevalence estimates indicate that between 13% and 20% of global children and adolescent populations experience depressive symptoms (Reiss et al., 2019). Yilmaz et al. (2021) and Jorns-Presentati et al. (2021) posit that approximately 10-20% of the global adolescent and child population experience depression as the most prevalent mental health challenge. In a study conducted among 917 teenage participants aged 15 years, 77.1% had depression as the most common mental condition (Akca, Selen, Demir, & Demir, 2018). An in-depth evaluation of these statistics reveals an overrepresentation of children from low socioeconomic households. In this regard, depression is a highly prevalent mental health problem among children, particularly those living in low-income and impoverished families.
Theme 1: Financial Stress, Parenting Styles, and Effect on Child’s Mental Wellbeing
Finances play an integral role in influencing the parenting styles adopted in a family, which directly impact the mental and behavioral wellbeing of children. According to Cheung and Wong (2021), low incomes contribute to parental stress, making parents less affectionate and responsive to their young ones. This implies that parents’ inability to provide for their children leads to impermissive and neglectful parenting, leading to behavioral and mental health problems in young ones (Yu, Renzaho, Shi, Ling, & Chen, 2020). Often, childhood behavioral and mental problems are manifestations of psychological distress experienced by parents. For instance, Yu et al. (2020) contend that children in low-income households demonstrate various adverse behavioral outcomes, including parental resentment and disruptive habits due to the decline in the quality of parenting. Notably, these effects also undermine children’s cognitive development, which is reflected in their poor academic performance (Cheung & Wong, 2021). For instance, low family incomes imply reduced investment in children and the subsequent impediment to their intellectual development.
Theme 2: Poverty, Family Dynamics, and Childhood Depression
Poverty exerts substantial negative pressure, which adversely affects family dynamics, which ultimately impacts the mental wellbeing of children. Wadsworth et al. (2013) argue that financial distress is a multidimensional problem encompassing a spectrum of material and non-material deprivations, leading to depressive symptoms among the young ones. For instance, low incomes increase the likelihood of interparental conflict, reduced commitment in family relationships, and strained child-parent bonds. According to Strohschein and Gauthier (2018), low socioeconomic families are burdened with unhealthy interactions, arguments, and declined levels of support and commitment to one another. For instance, a child may resent parents for their inability to provide occasional luxuries or having to work for long hours. These stressors expose children to numerous deprivations, increasing their likelihood of developing mental health problems. Moreover, poverty contributes to emotional distress in families due to the parents’ inability to meet children’s needs and the latter’s feeling of homelessness and perceived rejection. Cumulatively, these factors lead to the development of depression among young ones due to deteriorated family environment, declined parenting behaviors, and reduced parental attention to children.
Theme 3: Economic Hardships, Children’s Behavioral Problems, and Depression
Multiple studies have established a connection between childhood socioeconomic disadvantage, behavioral problems, and depression. For instance, material deprivation, subjective financial strain, and low incomes aggravate the quality and effectiveness of parenting, leading to the emergence of behavioral problems in children (Schenck-Fontaine & Panico, 2019). Kaiser, Li, Pollmann-Schult, and Song (2017) note that children in impoverished families contend with inconsistent, unsupportive, and uninvolved parents and that early adversities are associated with deficits in the inhibition of emotional response. Additionally, altered functional and structural changes caused by childhood poverty result in heightened sensitivity to negative information and difficulties in inhibitory control. From this perspective, economic hardships adversely impact the behavioral and mental wellbeing of children in different pathways.
Implications of Unaddressed Childhood Poverty and Depression
Low socioeconomic status predicts a wide range of adverse mental health and behavioral problems that transcend into adulthood. Childhood poverty has long-term multidimensional effects on individuals and society, including a high likelihood of recurring depression, financial problems, poor educational outcomes, and substance abuse. Baugh, Vanderbilt, and Baugh (2019) note that the socioeconomic status of a family can be used to predict the academic achievement of children. For instance, children raised in poverty experience social and emotional challenges, chronic stressors, and significant cognitive lags due to alterations in brain structure regions associated with memory and emotions.
Additionally, unaddressed depressive symptoms in childhood increase the likelihood of those challenges transcending into adulthood. This implies that prolonged experiences of poverty and socioeconomic disadvantages in early life contribute to the development of irreversible consequences on the mental and behavioral wellbeing of a person. According to Manhica, Straatmann, Lundin, Agardh, and Danielson (2021), exposure to childhood poverty is a major risk factor for substance abuse disorders and drug-related crimes in adulthood. Similarly, early-life deprivation significantly increases the likelihood of developing externalizing and internalizing disorders in adulthood. In this regard, low socioeconomic status in childhood is a risk factor for developing mental and behavioral problems later in life.
Moreover, childhood poverty has multiple detrimental effects on society. For instance, poor health exerts greater pressure on healthcare systems, necessitating a disproportionate allocation of resources to the sector. For instance, the resultant and frequently occurring health problems are inextricably linked with higher budgetary allocation for healthcare, which may impede the development of such other critical systems as education and infrastructure. Further, individuals who have suffered difficulties in childhood are highly likely to engage in violent crimes and experience a greater likelihood of inability to sustain families than their affluent counterparts. Therefore, childhood poverty has numerous detrimental effects on individuals and societies.
Interventions and Solutions From a Public Health Perspective
Depression triggered by childhood poverty can be addressed in various ways, including such direct interventions as delivery of essential services and communal activities designed to minimize the effects of the multidimensional deprivations. Further, social services should be launched to provide free or subsidized health services and support families and children to reduce their susceptibility to mental disorders. Additionally, social workers can provide advocacy services designed to address systemic and institutionalized denial of resources and opportunities, which reproduce poverty.
Additional Lessons and Steps to Take to Improve Childhood Mental Wellbeing
Among the critical lessons to learn about childhood poverty and depression include effective evidence-based interventions that mitigate the recurrence of mental health problems in adulthood. Additionally, it is imperative to understand the potential ways of ensuring better family relationships as a depression mitigating strategy in low-income households. To improve childhood mental wellbeing, I will conduct targeted advocacy on specific issues that minimize deprivations, including providing such supportive amenities as school amenities, healthcare, and nutrition needs.
Conclusion
Childhood poverty is a pervasive and prevalent global health problem affecting millions of children worldwide. Young ones living in impoverished circumstances are disadvantaged on numerous fronts and experience multiple forms of deprivation, exposing them to mental health problems such as depression. Notably, poverty exerts immense pressure on families, minimizing the quality of parenting, parental affection, and responsiveness to the needs of children. The resultant family strain adversely affects the mental and overall wellbeing of children.
Additionally, the implications of childhood poverty transcend into adulthood, leading to a wide range of psychological, behavioral, and mental problems later in life. In this regard, it is imperative to implement specific interventions that mitigate the negative effects of low incomes in families. For instance, such direct interventions as monetary and material support can help minimize family strain and effectively reduce the likelihood of mental health problems.
References
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