Hello and thank you for your question. For a topic such as yours,
Google and the Internet offer a wealth of material.
The father, so to speak, of psychsocial analysis in this area is Erik
Erikson. Here's one writer's outline of Erickson's analysis of the
psychosocial impact of poverty:
"a. Poverty is a major obstacle to optimal development.
"b. Individuals have fewer options and less opportunity to escape or
avoid societal deterants (e.g., discrimination).
1. In and of itself, poverty does not place inevitable limits on
development.
"c. It is well documented that poverty increases the risks individuals
face, including:
1. Malnourishment
2. Poor quality health care
3. Living in a hazardous physical environment
4. Living in a dangerous neighborhood
5. Participating in ineffective school systems"
Development Through Life Perspective
http://jkrislc.freeservers.com/psych35_studyguides/chpt1_psych35.htm
For our purposes, let's start with the psychosocial effect of low
family income, especially persistent poverty, as it effects the
childhood experience. According to Duncan and Magnuson:
"Low family income during the early childhood has been linked to
comparatively less secure attachment,higher levels of negative moods
and inattention,as well as lower levels of prosocial behaviour in
children. The link between low family income and young children's
problem behaviour has been replicated across several datasets with
different outcome measures, including parental reports of
externalizing and internalizing behaviours, teacher reports of
preschool behavioural problems, and assessments of children based on
clinical diagnostic interviews."
Low Income (Poverty) During Prenatal and Early Postnatal Periods
http://www.excellence-earlychildhood.ca/documents/DuncanANG.pdf
[you'll need a free copy of Adobe Acrobat reader to access this and
some of the following reports]
See also:
Children and Rural Poverty: Mental Health Correlates of Chaos
http://www.human.cornell.edu/dea/extension/docs/win2000/poverty.htm
Part of the problem is the association of poverty with poor
nutruition:
Health/Nutrition/Population and Poverty
http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/health/library/nov99seminar.pdf
Here's what a book outline offers on this issue (the book can be
purchased on-line via the link given below):
"Poverty is often the cause of other social ills such as delinquency,
which can destroy the social fabric of neighborhoods and limit
opportunities to escape impoverished situations.
Specifically, you’ll read about:
*the plight of impoverished mothers and their children
*a comparison of the poverty of disadvantaged African Americans and
poor white Americans
*health disadvantages of the poor
*the effects of poverty on school systems and the quality of education
students receive
*the factors of age, race, and ethnicity that can lead to poverty
*a refutation of the notion of genetic inferiority of the poor"
The Web of Poverty
Psychosocial Perspectives
http://www.haworthpressinc.com/store/product.asp?sku=1624
"Hungry young people are more likely to attempt suicide, suffer from
depression and do poorly in school, studies at Cornell find
Cornell News: Hunger affects school, psychosocial develoment"
http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/April02/hunger.kids.ssl.html
You can read here about efforts of a social worker to restore hope in
her life and to provide social support to a client stricken by
poverty:
A Social Worker Addresses Psychosocial Problems in an Impoverished
Community
http://www.naswnyc.org/w18.html
"According to growing scientific evidence, hunger and food insecurity
are significant risk factors for poorer health and nutrition,
diminished physical and psychological well-being, higher levels of
behavioral problems, and lower academic achievement."
According to the writer quoted above, the issue divides into four main
areas:
Dietary Adequacy: Energy & Nutrient Intakes
Physical and Mental Health Consequences
Learning, Behavior, and Academic Outcomes
Hunger and Obesity
Impact of Domestic Hunger and Food Insecurity on Health and
Development
A Selected Bibliography
http://216.239.37.100/search?q=cache:P7DAXKtXBlIC:www.centeronhunger.org/FSI/ImpactofHunger.htm+psychosocial+poverty&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
[this is a cite to the Google cache because the original paper is no
longer online]
In Third World cultures, where the risk of poverty is always present,
an isolated event such as riverbank erosion can have psychosocial
consequences:
Patterns of Psychosocial Coping and Adaptation Among Riverbank
Erosion-Induced Displacees in Bangladesh
http://pdm.medicine.wisc.edu/Hutton.htm
You should also not overlook the correlation of poverty with the many
problems of addiction and its connection, in turn, to HIV/AIDS:
"[T]he psychosocial issues for women living with HIV infection:
economic concerns, human relationship issues, psychological issues,
and cultural considerations."
PSYCHOSOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
Barbara Aranda-Naranjo, PhD, RN, and Rachel Davis, RN
http://hab.hrsa.gov/publications/hrsawomen/chapter8/chapter8.htm
[this paper has a lot to say about each of these elements]
There is also a demonstrable link between poverty and mental illness:
"The relative risk for schizophrenia is estimated to be eight times
higher for people from lowest socioeco status (SES) than those of the
highest SES. Over past decades the relationship between poverty and
mental illness has generated considerable epidemiological research.
The literature posits a positive link between poverty and mental
illness. The classic studies of Faris and Dunham (174), Hollingshead
and Redlick (175) Leighton (176) and Brown and Harris (177)
demonstrated relationships between mental health and social structure,
social isolation, poverty, life events and psychological stress.
(178)"
[the numbered footnotes are active links in the cited paper and can be
followed up from there for the primary sources]
Poverty
http://www.qcsr.uq.edu.au/template/Outcomes/Economic%20Outcomes/Reduction%20in%20Poverty_Intro.htm
I imagine that you have asked this question because you need to write
an essay on this subject. The sources and material I've given above,
and the references that they cite, should lead to just about
everything you need.
If you need more, you can simply retrace my steps by using the
following search requests into Google:
psychosocial poverty
Erik Erikson poverty
Good luck with your project! If any of the above is unclear, feel
free to request a clarification of my answer. I would appreciate it
if you would hold off on rating my answer until I have an opportunity
to respond.
Sincerely,
richard-ga |
