There are many and varied reasons why some families can feel under pressure. Some are short term problems such as accommodation whilst some problems such as illness can be long term. Four of the common factors that can put pressure on families are:
- Financial difficulties –
Some families live on low incomes. This means they may not be able to feed and clothe their children as they wish. Living on low income will also affect the type of housing that is available and families will often live in cramped conditions unsuitable for children. Studies have shown that there is a link between poverty, poor health and depression.
- Divorce and separation
Parents who have recently separated from their partner often find it difficult to manage on a lower
Children who come from a lower social economic background are more likely to be in poverty themselves. This can lead to lower expectations of the child from both parents and also the education system, leaving them little or no hope of getting out of poverty even though they may have the ability to do so.
This may result in overcrowding, for example being housed in a bedsit or home with insufficient bedrooms. This means the child has no privacy, or personal space. They may struggle with homework and course work because of the lack of a quiet space in which to complete it. The housing provided may be of a poor quality – suffering damp or be in disrepair. This could have a detrimental effect on the child’s health – causing asthma or frequent colds and coughs. It will probably be in a less desirable area or could be in an area with social disorder problems. This may result in the children becoming isolated, as their parents may be fearful of letting them out to play or they may themselves become involved in anti-social behaviour and criminal activities
If a child is living in poverty statistically they are more likely to to suffer ill health in later life and also be unemployed and turn to crime and substance abuse this will then cause their children to then suffer and the cycle continues.
Poverty also influences our responses to health and illness. The level of income below that which people cannot afford a minimum, nutritionally adequate diet, suitable and secure housing, heating and hot water, and beds to sleep on.
Poverty - A child may be living in a household with a very low income and their family may not be able to afford to provide for their children as they ad hoped. They may struggle to buy enough food, especially health food, to eat, buy clothes to wear or even to provide heating and electric. This can affect their physical and mental health due to poor hygiene and diet. Some children may suffer with low self-esteem and low self-respect because of the stigma attached to poverty, this can affect them in later life also.
One of the side effects of poverty is poor housing. People on low income are often dependent on local authority housing. This may result in overcrowding, for example being located in a bed-sit or home with not enough bedrooms. This means the child has no privacy, or personal space. This
Families who live in poverty do not have a choice about where they are living, or who their neighbors are. They do not have the option to pick up and move to avoid the struggles that poverty brings. Imagine having to listen to children scream and cry from hunger pains and realizing there is no food to feed them. Imagine children sleeping in the middle of winter with no heat to keep them warm. This is life for those families living in poverty. These are just some of the small daily struggles they live with on a daily basis.
Poverty among families means the inability to supply the basic needs of daily living. Poor children were more likely to be in fair/poor health, and Blacks had higher rates than Whites within each socioeconomic category ((Montgomery, Kiely, & Pappas, 1996). The data for children from
Afterwards, they may feel stressed out or tired therefore leading to a lack of parenting. It is important to understand that employment plays a large role in the growth of each family. According to the website Eurwork (2009), multiple studies propose that people that have acquired a higher education is more likely to face a low risk of exposure and have high levels of job security, while workers who are not skilled with a low SES are more likely to work physical jobs that are physically straining therefore they are more at risk of getting hurt; a lack of job security. In addition, those with a higher education can overcome insecurity more often than those who have a lower education. Low wages commonly hurt familes and continue poverty. To elaborate, 4 out of every 10 children who begin their childhood below the poverty line are most likely going to stay below that poverty throughout their adulthood too. The lack of income makes it difficult to afford healthcare. As a result, low-income families are susceptible to illnesses whether it is long-term or
General: stressors or events related to Hyppolite family life that can create stress within a family or between the family and their environment. There are 25 situations/ stressors listed and rated between 0 to 5 and how it creates stress or tension for the individual.
One common cause of depression that can be found no matter where you are in the world is poverty. In “What’s Behind the Gender Gap in Depression”, reporter Gretchen Cuda looks at how major depression is developed in both sexes, focusing mainly on women and their day-to-day struggles with the illness. “Being poor brings many types of stress, not the least of which is a feeling of loss of control over your life. That, in turn, can lead to negativity, passivity and lack of self-esteem--- and all those feelings increase the risk of depression.” (Cuda). Although Cuda focuses her report on women and depression, poverty is a factor that can lead to depression no matter what gender. The importance of financial stability and the stress that comes with worrying about money can take a toll on one’s physical as well as psychological health. Certain situations can occur in either gender but what occurs in the mind as well as methods of coping are what make the risk of depression differ for males and females.
Families besides providing for the basic necessities such as food, shelter, and clothes for their children, they also pass on cultural and educational values onto their children. According to the American Psychological Association, an important factor in poverty is a family’s socioeconomic status (SES) is often measured as a combination of education, income, and occupation. It is commonly thought of as the social position or class of an individual or group. Socioeconomic status in families is a key factor that influences quality of life for young children and their families. Low socioeconomic status is linked with lower education, poverty, and poor health. Proven studies show that low socioeconomic status is connected with higher levels of emotional, behavioral difficulties, and hostility. Socioeconomic status is proven to create achievement differences among children from low income families from those who come from well off families (Children, Youth and Families & Socioeconomic Status).
Socio-economic factors are widely acknowledged as important determinants of poverty. If an individual experiences adverse living conditions in childhood, majority of them will have inadequate income and result in low socio-economic status as adults (Carroll et al, 2011). Children born in poor households have difficulty in accessing the basic needs (e.g. food, clothing, and good living environment) and this can affect their learning ability at school, unable to focus. In other words, they have a higher chance of dropping out of school or lower education attainment, unable to provide appropriate qualifications when they move onto adulthood, seeking for job opportunities. These children are finding day-to-day life tough, they are living in cold, damp houses, do not have warm or rain-proof clothing, their shoes are worn, and many days they go hungry (Children's Commissioner, 2012). Often this has taken place over a long period of time, impacting on their development, behaviour and physical health furthermore limiting their potential as they grow into adults.
Poverty is “the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor” (Dictionary.com, 2017). Based off this definition poverty is a condition that can cause a cascade of cause and effect actions that is detrimental to families and individuals both physically and mentally. Haan, Kaplan, & Camacho (2017) completed a study on the correlation between social and economic status and health in adults in Oakland, CA. They found that the lower the socioeconomic class the higher incidents of diseases and deaths related to chronic diseases (p.1161-1162). Just being without money or little money was not the only indication of health indication, a person living in an area with higher poverty issues
Poverty can lead to serious effects. Children who grow up in poverty are likely to have frequent health problems than the children who grow in better financial circumstances. For example, infants who are born into poverty have a low birth weight, and they grow up with mental or physical disabilities. Not only are they sick, but they are most likely to die before their first birthday. Children who are raised in poverty might miss school often because of their illnesses, and they have a much higher accident rate than the other children. Nearly a billion of the world’s population can’t read nor write. Poor families experience stress much more than a normal family does. They are more likely to be exposed to negative events such as illness, job loss, death of a family member, and depression. Homelessness is another effect of poverty. Homeless children are less likely to receive proper nutrition, protection and they experience more health problems. Around 1.4 million children die each year from lack of access to safe and clean water and proper nutrition. Homeless women experience a high rate of low birth weight infants as well as miscarriages. Families who do not have homes receive much more stress than other families. They also have disruption in school, work, friendships, and family relationships. There are other effects of poverty such as drug abuse and addiction, child and woman abuse, debts pressure, and increase in crimes.