POVERTY, PROSPERITY, AND THE MENTAL HEALTH OF CHILDREN
Although poverty and low socioeconomic status are associated with higher rates and more disabling consequences of various mental disorders in adults, the association between these factors and the occurrence of mental health problems in children is less clear-cut and may vary between different types of community. Since poverty is often the background for a whole cluster of psychosocial phenomena (e.g., broken homes, loose family ties, educational disadvantage, increased rates of delinquency and crime, illegitimate births) it is likely that its effects on child mental health are mediated through those factors rather than through income levels only. While the evidence is not complete, it appears that when poverty or low social status lead to family disorganization and disruption, then there are adverse effects on the mental health and psychosocial development of children. If the relief of poverty facilitates family functioning, the mental health benefits of such measures may be substantial. On the other hand, raising the level of income alone does not automatically have this beneficial effect, and there is ample evidence from many developed countries that increasing affluence does not reduce the extent and frequency of mental health problems. Indeed, children in developed countries have considerable mental health problems in spite of prosperity.
