The Negative Impact Of Poverty On Youth Development

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Poverty is something that the United States has attempted to define for over a decade. A basic definition would be the state of being extremely poor. So how do we measure this state of being extremely poor? Well, the United States has opted to utilize a national poverty rate that was created in 1959, and has done so with very few changes leading into present day. According to the Census Bureau, a household income above 100% of their poverty threshold is considered above poverty level, while income between 100% and 125% is considered near poverty. Households with incomes below 100% are considered to be in poverty, and households below 50% are considered to be in severe poverty (UC Davis Center for Poverty Research, 2018). Based off of this poverty threshold, the poverty rate in the united states is at 12.7% according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 estimates, or roughly 43 million Americans (UC Davis Center for Poverty Research, 2018). Of …show more content…

For the purpose of this paper we will take a closer look at how these 15 million youths are being impacted by living in poverty. Specifically, we will look at how poverty impacts youth development, including both their emotional and social development. The following developmental issues will be looked at: mental health impacts, behavioral impacts, and academic impacts. This will be followed by possible interventions and discussion.
Mental Health Three common mental health problems exist among youths who live below the poverty line, and they include: anxiety, depression and self-esteem. Though these are the more common problems, these are far from the only mental health issues that can arise due to poverty among youth.

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