Childhood Stressors

The childhood stressor that I have been most in contact with through working at a homeless women and children's shelter is poverty. I have seen many children living in poverty and the effect it has on them. I have also seen mothers that grew up in poverty that are now raising their children in similar circumstances. The main way I have seen children coping that are living in poverty is to pull close to their siblings. I am thinking of a particular family of three children that at times were living with a violent, drug using and neglectful mother. The children ranged in age of 6, 4, and 2. The children in this family were so bonded to each other and cared for each other. The oldest child acted so much older than he really was. He cared for the younger children and treated them in a way a parent would. I saw these children surviving by relying on their relationship as siblings. This family also relied on government assistance for food and clothing and non profit services for shelter and schooling.

I am interested in researching childhood poverty in the United States. I would like to know more about poverty in our own country because I feel it connects with my first hand experience with this stressor. In 2011 it was reported that 23% of American children (roughly 16 million) are living below the poverty line and their family's annual income is less than $22,00.00 for a family of 4. 1 out of every 4 children are living in a family where they can no longer afford to live in their home. The poverty rate among African American children in the US is 38.2%, which is higher than any other race in the country. One last affect that I found shocking was that only 3 other countries (Mexico, Chile, and Turkey) in the developed world have a higher childhood poverty rate than the US. Some of the things being done to support children in poverty include government assistance like food stamps, and housing assistance. We also provide free and reduced meals in our schools for children living in poverty to reduce the harm of this stressor. There are also countless non profit organizations that provide mentors, food banks, clothing and supply drives and counseling to children living in poverty. The US government also provides monetary support for schools that have a certain number of low income children attending.

References
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/social-issues/poor-kids/by-the-numbers-childhood-poverty-in-the-u-s/

http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/06/25/child-poverty-America