Childhood Trauma Causes Poverty

Scientists from the US have shared the results of an interesting study that sheds light on the question of why some people cannot escape their socially disadvantaged environment. Experts believe that future poverty is programmed by negative childhood experiences – the more suffering the child had, the greater is the likelihood that he/she will have to face reduced circumstances and even poverty as an adult.

The study authors represent Drexel University. They invited 31 women to participate in the project. All of them were mothers; all of them had faced violence, cruelty, deprivation and lack of parental attention in their childhood.

The participants were offered a special questionnaire, which made it possible to see how strong the psychological and physical violence experienced in childhood was. In addition, the questions addressed to the women were used to determine the effect of bitter childhood experience on such parts of later life as physical health, school performance, and employment. According to scientists, these factors are closely related to the family’s financial situation.

As a result, the researchers obtained the data that proved that childhood pain and suffering served as the foundation for the future poverty. High scores of the question “negative childhood experiences” were correlated with severe food shortage in the family.

The study authors explained that the women who had suffered from psychological and physical abuse in childhood mostly earned little and could not provide their children with healthy food. According to them, there can be no doubt that adverse life events in childhood have a strong influence on the quality of life in the future.

Earlier, the scientists from Liverpool conducted the study that proved that negative childhood experiences significantly increased the risk of future diseases, such as schizophrenia.