Weighing only 3 pounds, the human brain is the most complex structure known to man. It is what sets humans apart from the rest of the other animals. It is a powerful organ that allows us to learn, store memories, think creatively, and communicate with one and another. Physical damage to any organ in the human body can be detrimental and that is no different with the brain. However, once the brain is damaged, there is often nothing that can be done. Damage to the brain is not only done physically, but a person 's lifestyle, in particular, living in poverty has negative effects to the brain. According to the 2012 Census report, poverty affects 46.5 million people in the United States alone. Out of the 46.5 million people, 16 million are children. The National Scientific Council report summarized the conditions associated with poverty "as overcrowding, noise, substandard housing, separation from parent(s), exposure to violence, family turmoil," and other stressful …show more content…
The brains of children are still developing; however, constant stressful conditions can stun or slow down the development of the brain. Furthermore, high levels of cortisol have shown to convert the stems cells present in the brain to mature into oligodendrocytes, a type of glial cell responsible for producing the myelin sheath (a type of fatty covering for the nerve cells), instead of maturing into mature neurons or astrocytes. Even though myelin sheath is important, astrocytes are needed for the formation of connections to the prefrontal cortex. Therefore, resulting in issues with memory and learning. Additionally, high levels of cortisol have shown to destroy the nerve cells present in the hippocampus resulting in a decrease in size. Consequently, these children suffer intellectual, memory, and spatial learning
In recent years, the number of children whose families fall under the line of poverty has risen at an alarming rate. Crosson-Tower (2013) postulated a reason for this increase when she said, “The recent weakening economy, a higher unemployment rate, unprecedented numbers of home foreclosures and a decline in the safety net for children and their families have resulted in a gradual continuing increase in children living in extreme poverty” (p. 57). Apparently, nearly every aspect of the United States’ crumbling economy affects a family’s ability to meet basic needs. The rise in single parent, mother headed families has not helped poverty statistics because of the lower earning potential of women. A major reason so many children liv...
The exact amount of poverty that exits in the United States are difficult to ascertain, since the manner in which poverty is measured determines the amount of poverty reported. The U.S. Bureau of the Census reported that there were about 33,100,00 persons classified as officially below the poverty level in 1985. Small children that live in low-income households, are vulnerable to a wide variety of problems, including poor nutrition, inadequate housing, substandard medical attention, lack of proper nutrition, and physical or emotional abuse. Adolescents from these backgrounds become part of cycle of low-income or unemployment. Black and Hispanic teenagers have particularly acute problems obtaining employment. The President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice recognized the role of poverty in producing delinquency and noted that the most serious forms of juvenile delinquencies are more prevalent between youths at the lowest socioeconomic levels.
Children represent a disproportionate share of the poor in the United States; they are 23.1 percent of the total population, but 33.3 percent of the poor population. In 2014, 15.5 million children, or 21.1 percent, were poor. Poverty can shape a life of a child and leave them with feelings of hopelessness and unworthiness. There are also specific ethnic and race groups whose children are affected by poverty than others.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2014 African Americans held the highest poverty rate of 26%, with Hispanics holding the second highest rate at 24% (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). When comparing this to the poverty rates of Whites at 10% and Asians at 12% in 2014, we see that in America, racial and ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to experiencing poverty (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). In addition, discrimination is seen between genders among those living in poverty. Family households of a single adult are more likely to be headed by women and are also at a greater risk for poverty (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). In 2014, 30.6% of households headed by a single woman were living below the poverty line compared to 15.7% for households headed by a single male (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). Many factors such as poor wages for women, pregnancy associations, and the increase of single-woman parented families have impacted the increase of women in poverty. Children are most harshly affected by poverty because for them the risks are compounded, as they lack the defenses and supports needed to combat the toxicity surrounding them. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 21% of all U.S. children (73.6 million children) under 18 years old lived in poverty in 2014 (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor,
One of the main causes of poverty is a lack of money. There are some families that do have at least one person employed in the household but the money earned is not enough to provide for the family. Tough decisions such as paying rent buying groceries become a daily challenge for struggling households. Those living in households headed by people with no high school degree are the most likely to enter poverty. Limited options in the job market make it hard for those without degrees the ability to find jobs that will pay above minimum wage. Many Americans earn less than the nation’s median income which hinders most Americans from living a life free of hunger. Children who grow up in poverty suffer more persistent, frequent, and severe health problems than do children who grow up under better financial circumstances. Children of poverty are at an extreme disadvantage and cycle ends up repeating itself until the pattern is somehow
Damage to the prefrontal cortex is the damage to the frontal lobes. This sort of damage causes the inability to plan or behave in ways society says you should. When damage occurs in childhood, the individual who is affected may never have a real understanding or be able to grasp the concept of social norms. When you are older and the damage occurs later on in life, there is and understanding on how they should act, but they are just not capable of achieving normal behavior. Damage to the prefrontal cortex can also: suppress speech, lack empathy, antisocial behaviors, cause dishonesty, and difficulty with organization as well as impulse control. Researchers have linked that many of the worst criminals have damage to their prefrontal cortex,
The United States is divided into three different classes when classifying a group by their income. The classes are the High class, the middle class, and the low class. People who live in the high and middle classes have every day struggles similar to people living in the lower class have; but one thing that fluctuates is the types of struggles people in poorer class have to face proceeding on an everyday basis. For example, not knowing if they will have food on the table for their children, heat for their house in the winter, or have a roof over their head by the end of the month. Unfortunately to every difficulty there is always a gray area over looked. When dealing with poverty, children are often the ones left in that gray area with no
In the video, “Born with a Wooden Spoon”, we were introduced on how poverty affects the United States. The United States is known as the wealthiest country in the world, as by providing a basic necessity of healthy living that includes home, food, and health care. Only 5% of Americans believe that poverty is an important problem, others do not see that 37% (1 of 8 people) of all people in the United States have been classified as living in poverty for at least 2 months out of a year. This is also about 1/3 or 12 million children that fall below the poverty line. We are given different factors that influence people to live in poverty, such as low education levels, racial groups, lack of job skills, single parent homes, and environment of crimes and drugs. Poverty is seen in many diverse groups, some more visible than others, such as homeless and urban areas. Poverty can be classified in many groups as well, like situational poverty, working poor poverty, immigration poverty, asset poverty, elder poverty, child poverty and most popular found in generational poverty. As a result, there are many characteristics that distinguish poverty
According to the Children Defense Fund 1 in 13 children will live in extreme poverty in the United States and a family of four is extremely poor if their income is below 10,000 or half of the official poverty line. (http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/state-data-repository/census/census-2007-child-poverty-data.pdf,). Despite being wealthy the U.S. . has the highest rate of child poverty among all the other countries. Poor children are more likely to go hungry and are less likely to be read to during their early years. They are less likely to have health insurance and needed care. Poor children are more likely to start school behind their affluent peers and are less likely to graduate high school. They are more likely to grow up as poor adults and become involved in the criminal justice system. A family of four's annual income must be lower than 23,000 to reach child poverty. (http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/documents/2014-SOAC_child-poverty.pdf(). Children in single parent homes were four times more likely to be poor than children in two adult families. Almost 70 percent of all children live with two parents.(http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/state-data.) The south has the highest child poverty rate with 1 in 4 children compared to 1 in 5 children in the rest of the country. Growing up in child poverty can be a major effect on a healthy development for a child. Poverty and stress about finances can have an effect on children's cognitive development and their ability to learn. It can contribute to behavioral problems, social and emotional problems, and poor health. Living in poverty affects how a chil...
The brain is an amazing thing, but it’s also such a weird thing. We just have this 3 pound ball of nervous tissue inside of our skull that helps us walk, talk, move, solve problems, write, read, imagine impossible situations that will stress you out at 4 AM , feel emotions, stores memories, and so many other incredible things.
Poverty is an important and emotional issue. Last year, the Census Bureau released its annual report on poverty in the United States declaring that there were nearly 35 million poor persons living in this country in 2002, a small increase from the preceding year. To understand poverty in America, it is important to look behind these numbers--to look at the actual living conditions of the individuals the government deems to be poor.
In the United States, the phenomenon of child poverty has reached unprecedented levels in only the last couple of years. Poverty is known as a state of deprivation and a lack of monetary income or material possessions. The level of poverty is most often gauged by the poverty threshold, which is set by the United States Census Bureau. Children in impoverished families have access to fewer material goods compared to their counterparts in middle-class or high income families and are at a greater risk for developing mental health and behavioral problems. Children being born into poverty exacerbates their chances of growing up as impoverished adults. The public concern for children in poverty highlights their material well-being,
Poverty can have damaging effects on children. Poverty rates amongst children are higher than another other age group according to Dalaker, 2001. Though there have been many improvements made, there are still approximately 1.2 million children still living in poverty. In terms of race and ethnicity, the poverty rate for children under 18 years of age are as followed; 30% African American, 29% Latino and 13% White. This extenuates the statistics ...
In 1990, Schwarz (1990) stated about one in five American families lived beneath the poverty line. According Lein (2013), it is estimated that as of the beginning of 2011, about 1.46 million U.S. households with about 2.8 million children were surviving on $2 or less in income per person per day in a given month. This constitutes almost 20 percent of all non-elderly households with children living in poverty. About 866,000 households appear to live in extreme poverty across a full calendar quarter. The prevalence of extreme poverty rose sharply between 1996 and 2011(Lein, 2013).
Poverty is “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions” (Merriam-Webster dictionary, 2015); in other words, struggling to provide a comfortable living style. It is the cause of family stress and many other problems, especially for the children. Millions of people around the world are struggling with poverty; families suffering to provide enough food seem to be growing in numbers. According to the United States Census Bureau, the poverty rate was highest in the 1960s and decreased greatly in the 1970s. However, it is now slowly starting to increase again. Recently released census data by the Bureau showed that one in five people are living in poverty (Census Bureau, 2014). Poverty is even