Developing Brain High on Violence & Poverty

Relationship between Violence and Poverty:Does growing up in an environment engulfed in violence and poverty alter the brains development in any way? Everyday violence in the developing world is not the result of armies or massive conflicts. It’s actually the result of daily violence perpetrated by criminals in poor communities. Those individuals who commit sexual assaults, business owners who hold poor people in slavery, local police officers who extort money. This violence is unleashed by the absence of any functioning law enforcement to restrain these perpetrators. Teens are stereotyped world wide for having under developed sense of right and wrong, making impulsive decisions, being overly dramatic or emotional, and their reckless behavior. However, financially secure teens act as responsibly as stereotypical middle-aged people; and poor middle-aged people act as recklessly as stereotypical teens.(A)

Studies have shown a strong positive correlation between the many forms of influences on teens from peer pressure, parental attitudes, dropping out of school, drinking, drugs, and violent video games to criminal activity. Besides these psychological and sociological studies on the brain of a teenager, Mike Males conducted a study from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice in San Fransisco which support the argument that teenage poverty, not teenage biology, is most to blame for teenage crime. Males looked specifically at the more than 50,000 homicides in California from 1991 to 2002. As one would expect, teenagers perpetrated more of the homicides than other age groups — but only when he did not control for poverty. When he did control for poverty, teenagers committed more crimes than other age groups only in high-poverty areas. In the areas where teenagers had as much money as other middle-aged people, they tended to commit fewer violent crimes. And in the areas where middle-aged people had as little money as other teenagers, those middle-aged people tended to commit just as many violent crimes.(A)

Subsequently, we can conclude that teens who are financially secure behave similar to those of the typical stereotypes of middle aged individuals, whereas poverty stricken middle aged individuals behave just as recklessly as the stereotypical teen. Financial situations have the biggest impact. Homicide rates among the poorest teenagers were 18 more likely than those who are wealthy. The next question we have to ask ourselves as a society is - how do we level this playing field? Giving adolescents an opportunity to work where they gain knowledge, life experiences, and develop skills gives these youths hope. Regions in America that accumulate lower incomes as well as those where there is drastic differences in income (aka: income inequality) have been associated with high crime. The many negative stereotypes of teens are not necessarily genetically linked but are influenced by low socioeconomic status, not because of their young age. We as a society have to better decide how poor decisions should be punished and weigh in how these decisions get made in the first place.(A)

Psychology of the Brain and its correlation to the nation's economic crisis. These past few years have deeply affected millions of American lives. Driving through many neighborhoods throughout the nation there can be seen are foreclosure signs on businesses and the many job layoffs can be seen in any American family. Those who are the most affected are those who were already living in low- income communities. Poverty is linked with increasing levels of  homelessness and food insecurity/hunger for many Americans and children are particularly affected by these conditions. Find out below a summary of the myriad effects of poverty, homelessness, and hunger on children and youth. Various resources (from APA and other organizations) have also been listed that provide information and tools on ways to fight poverty in America (C) 

Effects of Poverty on Adolescent Brain: Psychological research has demonstrated that living in poverty has a wide range of negative effects on the physical and mental health and well-being of our nation’s children. Poverty impacts children within their various contexts at home, in school, and in their neighborhoods and communities. Poverty is linked with negative conditions such as substandard housing, homelessness, inadequate nutrition and food insecurity, inadequate child care, lack of access to health care, unsafe neighborhoods, and schools lacking in resources which adversely impact our nation’s children. Poorer children and teens are also at greater risk for several negative outcomes such as poor academic achievement, school dropout, abuse and neglect, behavioral and emotional problems, physical health problems, and developmental delays. These effects are due to the barriers families face when trying to attain access to physical and mental health care.(B)

Poverty has a particularly adverse effect on the academic outcomes of children, especially during early childhood. Chronic stress associated with living in poverty has been shown to adversely affect children’s concentration and memory which may impact their ability to learn. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that in 2008, the dropout rate of students living in low-income families was about four and one-half times greater than the rate of children from higher-income families (8.7 percent versus 2.0 percent). The academic achievement gap for poorer youth is particularly pronounced for low-income African American and Hispanic children compared with their more affluent White peers. Under resourced schools in poorer communities struggle to meet the learning needs of their students and aid them in fulfilling their potential.Inadequate education contributes to the cycle of poverty by making it more difficult for low-income children to lift themselves and future generations out of poverty.(B)

Children living in poverty are at greater risk of behavioral and emotional problems. Some behavioral problems may include impulsiveness, difficulty getting along with peers, aggression,attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder. Some emotional problems may include feelings of anxiety, depression, including low self-esteem. Poverty and economic hardship is particularly difficult for parents who may experience chronic stress, depression, marital distress and exhibit harsher parenting behaviors. These are all linked to poor social and emotional outcomes for children. Unsafe neighborhoods may expose low-income children to violence which can cause a number of psychosocial difficulties. Violence exposure can also predict future violent behavior in youth which places them at greater risk of injury and mortality and entry into the juvenile justice system.

Children and teens living in poorer communities are at increased risk for a wide range of physical health problems: Low birth weight /Poor nutrition which is manifested in the following ways: Inadequate food which can lead to food insecurity/hunger. Lack of access to healthy foods and areas for play or sports which can lead to childhood overweight or obesity.Chronic conditions such as asthma, anemia and pneumonia.Risky behaviors such as smoking or engaging in early sexual activity.Exposure to environmental contaminants, e.g., lead paint and toxic waste dumps.Exposure to violence in their communities which can lead to trauma, injury, disability and mortality.(B)

Effects of Hunger on the Adolescent Brain: Maternal malnutrition during pregnancy increases the risk of negative birth outcomes, including premature birth, low birth weight, smaller head size and lower brain weight. Babies born prematurely are vulnerable to health problems and are at increased risk for developing learning problems when they reach school-age.The first three years of a child’s life are a period of rapid brain development. Too little energy, protein and nutrients during this sensitive period can lead to lasting deficits in cognitive, social and emotional development. Protein-energy malnutrition, iron deficiency anemia, iodine, zinc and other vitamin deficiencies in early childhood can cause brain impairment. Failure to thrive, the failure to grow and reach major developmental milestones as the result of malnutrition, affects 5-10 percent of American children under the age of three.Hunger reduces a child’s motor skills, activity level and motivation to explore the environment. Movement and exploration are important to cognitive development, and more active children elicit more stimulation and attention from their caregivers, which promotes social and emotional development.

Families often work to keep their food-insecurity hidden and some parents may feel shame or embarrassment that they are not able to feed their children adequately. Children may also feel stigmatized, isolated, ashamed or embarrassed by their lack of food. A community sample that classified low-income children ages six to twelve as “hungry," “at-risk for hunger” or “not hungry” found that hungry children were significantly more likely to receive special education services, to have repeated a grade in school and to have received mental health counseling than at-risk-for-hunger or not-hungry children. In this same study, hungry children exhibited 7 to 12 times as many symptoms of conduct disorder (such as fighting, blaming others for problems, having trouble with a teacher, not listening to rules, stealing) than their at-risk or not-hungry peers. Among low-income children, those classified as “hungry” show increased anxious, irritable, aggressive and have a demeanor that is in opposition to their peers. Additionally, the multiple stressor's associated with poverty result in significantly increased risk for developing psychiatric and functional problems.

School-age children who experience severe hunger are at increased risk for the following negative outcomes:Homelessness, Chronic health conditions. Stressful life conditions.Psychiatric distress. Behavioral problems.Internalizing behavior, including depression, anxiety, withdrawal and poor self-esteem. The effects of malnutrition depend on the length and severity of the period of hunger and may be mediated by other factors. Improved nutrition, increased environmental stimulation, emotional support, and secure attachment to parents/caregivers can compensate for early malnutrition. Babies who receive enough nutrition while in the womb appear to show higher cognitive performance in later childhood. The human brain is flexible and can recover from early deficits, but this also means that brain structures remain vulnerable to further negative experiences throughout childhood. Breastfeeding, attentive care taking and attention to environmental factors, such as sleep cycles and noise, can also promote healthy development.

Links:
(A) http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/03/14/how-violence-perpetuates-poverty
(B)https://psmag.com/it-s-poverty-not-the-teenage-brain-that-causes-the-most-youth-crime-ced78344c132#.fqw1o4mik
(C)http://www.apa.org/pi/families/poverty.aspx

*Please note! These images are not mine. They were found on various tumblr sites! If any are yours please let me know so that I can give you credit for them! Also the people in the images have no relation to the diseases, illnesses, or cancers I write about. Thanks so much & enjoy~