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Robert Reynolds

Instructor: Malcom Campbell

UWRT 1104

April 4, 2018

They are the Future: The Lasting Effects of Child Poverty in the United States

Everyday in the United States, and all around the world, people encounter the sobering

situation that often stays with them for the rest of their day. The scene of a child with an

outstretched hand, begging for money, for food, for clothes, just for help so they and their family

can afford to live. Often these children only receive as little as a glance and sometimes less.

Sometimes they get nothing. This is used as a corresponding situation that shows for the rest of

the nation. Poverty has long been a standing issue in all parts of the world. Particularly in the

United States, poverty has been a rising problem that is losing the little spotlight it has gotten.

This is a well-known fact that poverty has been a rising issue in the U.S. that the nation

has decided to ignore. According to an article by Angus Deaton in the New York Times and to

the World Bank “769 Million people lived on less than $1.90 a day in 2013, Of these, 3.2 Million

live in the United States,” and “there are 5.3 million Americans who are absolutely poor by

global standards (Deaton).” This level of poverty is something that fluctuates throughout the

years of course and it is not always so bad. In a study by the U.S. Census Bureau, numbers

decreased continuously from 2014 to 2016, in 2016 “there were 40.6 Million people in poverty,

2.5 million people less than 2015, and 6.0 million less than 2014 (Semega).” While this may be a

good sign. Its still a problem with very high numbers.

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Child Poverty is a fast-growing part of the larger issue at hand. According to Suzanne

McCartney and The United States Census Bureau, and the American Community Survey (ACS)

as of 2010, “More than one in five children in the united states lived in poverty,” and “In 2010,

the ACS child poverty rate (21.6 Percent) is the highest since the survey began in 2001,”

(McCartney). The Census shows from 2009 to 2010, “The number and percent of children

increased in 27 states,” and that “In no state did the number or percent of children in poverty

decrease” (McCartney). With growing problems like this it is almost impossible to say that this is

not something that needs more attention.

One reason that it is important, is because poverty causes stress and stress from the

parents, often in these situations may lead to violent behavior. These situations stood out to be

another factor of my research that has proved to be a prominent and growing issue. While stress

is not an excuse to abuse a child, it may be a strong source of the occurrences and this violence

may in-turn be taken out on the children often and in some cases, can prove to be extremely

severe.

This stress may also result in substance use. It is a well-known fact in the world of

healthcare that poverty may be a prominent cause of the increased numbers of substance users in

the united states. A study conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Center for

Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration (SAMHSA) it was found that the largest percentages of people that experienced

drug dependency and abuse at age 12 or older came from areas with higher poverty statuses; the

same was found when observing the levels of alcohol abuse and dependency, an estimated 15

million adults over the age of 18 had admitted to heavy alcohol abuse (SAMHSA). This may be

a contributor to the violence and abuse that children are receiving as well.
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There is a strong correlation between the levels of poverty from county to county, and the

occurrences of child abuse. The chances of abuse or neglect for children who live with families

with incomes of less than $15,000 per year is 22 times more likely than children who live with

families with higher incomes (Nolte). Studies show that between 2005 and 2006 up to 3 million

adolescents that were under the age of 18 had experienced physical and sexual abuse at some

point in their lives; some even show that not only poverty, but income inequality and regular

financial issues can increase occurrences of child abuse. A study of child admissions to 38

hospitals between 2000-2009, showed a much significant correlation between the number of

admissions related to child and the level of foreclosures on mortgages in the area (Eckenrode).

In my research I was faced with the fact that this abuse may sometimes be much more

serious than some would expect, and often a matter of life and death. In fact, a study by Caitlin

A. Farrell, a specialist in Emergency Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, and the American

Academy of Pediatrics, shows that “counties with the highest poverty concentration >3 times the

rate of child abuse fatalities than counties with the lowest poverty concentration,” (Farrell). As

the previous information states, this abuse does become very severe in cases, resulting in high

numbers of actual child fatalities due to child abuse. Farrell also speaks on this in her study,

stating that, “From the year 1999 to 2014, 11,149 children 0-4 years old died of child abuse. 45%

(5053) were less than 1 year old,” (Farrell).

A child’s cognitive and intellectual development may sometimes be affected by the

environment they are situated in. When compared together, children who are considered poor by

economic standards show slower development in educational systems than children who are

considered middle or upper class in economic standards, also, studies tell that poverty at an early

age has caused a greater affect on child development and educational achievement; areas that are
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considered poverty stricken show that graduation rates fall to 50% for children who start high

school in these environments, while that number increases with children who live with families

who are considered to be financially stable. This shows how a child living I poverty can have

struggles in school because of their situation (Wood). The largest and most prominent finding is

that children above the poverty line score much better than children below the poverty line with

some tests coming out with a difference greater than ten percentile points (Welsh).

Child Poverty may even create problems with the actual physical health of the child.

These issues in medical health may come from stress, abuse, or malnutrition. Studies show that

those who live in families below the poverty line have a highly increased risk of high blood

pressure and other medical problems that are often related to stress, in a recent study showed that

parents of children that come from poor families are more likely to describe their child’s physical

health as “fair” or “poor”, rather than explain it as “excellent” as the parent of a child in a middle

or upper class family may. Also, research has shown a direct link between levels of poverty to

the number of hospital visits, malnutrition, disability days and death rates, although, the medical

issues do not always come from neglect, abuse or malnutrition; they also can come from

environmental issues like the amount of lead in the water in impoverished areas (Wood). In other

studies, it was found that unhealthy children are likely to live with a single mother who is not

employed and are more likely to be enrolled in Medicaid (Welsh).

The effects may often go much deeper than just the surface, sometimes they may turn

into long term psychological effects. Poverty in some cases may have long term psychosocial

effects on people who experience the situations, particularly those who experience it at an early

age. These effects may include PTSD, Depression, ADHD, Anxiety and Schizophrenia, often it

is not the actual situation of poverty itself, but the stigma that surrounds it that leaves children
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feeling singled out, depressed and often show signs of lowered self-esteem; this stigma that

surrounds poverty can lead to bullying, which can result in anxiety, stress, and often antisocial

behaviors (Ayre).

So, what can be done to help these children who go through all of this to make life a little

better for them? It can all start with a smile, being a friend of these children, giving a little extra

money to those you meet with outstretched hands. It can also go further up into politics as well,

paying close attention to politicians and policies that pertain to this issue. Reporting any abuse to

child protective services may change the child’s life and turn it around indefinitely. There is

always something to be done. This research shows that there are direct links between poverty,

child abuse, maltreatment and substance abuse.

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Works Cited

Ayre, David. “Poor Mental Health: Links Between Child Poverty and Mental Health Problems.”

Https://Www.Childrenssociety.org.uk, The Children’s Society, Mar. 2016,

www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/poor_mental_health_report.pdf.

Eckenrode, PhD, John. "Income Inequality and Child Maltreatment in the United States." AAP News &

Journals Gateway. AAP Publications, February 2014. Accessed March 2018.

Farrell, Caitlin A., "Community poverty and child abuse fatalities in the United States." Pediatrics

Issued May 2016. Accessed, April,2018

McCartney, Suzanne. “Child Poverty in the United States 2009 and 2010: Selected Race Groups and

Hispanic Origin” United States Census Bureau. Issued, November 2011. Accessed April 2018.

Deaton, Angus. "The U.S. Can No Longer Hide from Its Deep Poverty Problem." The New York Times.

The New York Times, January 2018. Accessed. March 2018.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/24/opinion/poverty-united-states.html.

Nolte, Karen., “Annual Report,” Family Forward., Published April 2017. Accessed April 2018.

https://familyforwardmo.org/wp-content/uploads/FamilyForward-2016-2017-Annual-Report.pdf

Semega, Jessica L., "Income and poverty in the United States: 2016.” United States Census Bureau

Published September 2017. Accessed, May 2018.

https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2017/demo/p60-259.html

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Behavioral Health Barometer: United

States, 2015. HHS Publication No. SMA–16–Baro–2015: Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administration, Published, 2015 Accessed April 2018.

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