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Children
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Economic Resources and the Development of Children and Adolescents
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Economic Resources and the Development of Children and Adolescents

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2022) | Viewed by 9193

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ludovica Gambaro

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Guest Editor
Department of Sociology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Interests: family policies; children and families; inequality; childcare and early education; neighborhoods; residential mobility
Prof. Dr. Mary Clare Lennon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate Center, City Universtiy of New York, New York, NY, USA
Interests: housing and neighborhoods; inequality; children and families; health; statistics and methods

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Decades of research have documented that family economic resources matter for children’s and adolescents’ development. Economic resources are indispensable to the satisfaction of material needs, providing children and adolescents with food security, safe housing, goods and services that enable them to thrive. Families’ economic resources also provide real and psychological security, avoiding stress and fostering parents’ capacity for good parenting. Disparities in economic resources are, however, pervasive and growing, and this is especially the case among families with children. Because the consequences of these disparities are multiple and overlapping, it is crucial to examine the different pathways through which they operate. Studying the impact of economic disparities on children’s and adolescents’ development would help us gain a better understanding of the underlying reasons and improve the design of interventions to reduce the detrimental effects of such inequalities.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to explore the current state of research on the consequences of economic inequalities for children’s and adolescents’ health and well-being in high- and medium-income countries. It is encouraged that the focus of the research be on either the mechanisms and pathways through which economic resources affect children’s and adolescents’ well-being or on interventions to reduce and/or eliminate these disparities. We welcome original research studies (e.g., observational, quasi-experimental, randomized controlled trials, mixed methods) and meta-analyses.

Dr. Ludovica Gambaro
Prof. Dr. Mary Clare Lennon
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • child development
  • child well-being
  • childhood
  • adolescence
  • family
  • income
  • economic resources
  • welfare support
  • intervention

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 506 KiB  
Article
Effects of Welfare Reform on Positive Health and Social Behaviors of Adolescents
by Nancy E. Reichman, Hope Corman, Dhaval Dave, Ariel Kalil and Ofira Schwartz-Soicher
Children 2023, 10(2), 260; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/children10020260 - 31 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1802
Abstract
This paper explores a missing link in the literature on welfare reform in the U.S.—the effects on positive health and social behaviors of adolescents, who represent the next generation of potential welfare recipients. Previous research on welfare reform and adolescents has focused almost [...] Read more.
This paper explores a missing link in the literature on welfare reform in the U.S.—the effects on positive health and social behaviors of adolescents, who represent the next generation of potential welfare recipients. Previous research on welfare reform and adolescents has focused almost exclusively on negative behaviors and found that welfare reform led to decreases in high school dropout and teenage fertility among girls, but increases in delinquent behaviors and substance use, particularly among boys. Using nationally representative data on American high school students in 1991–2006 and a quasi-experimental research design, we estimated the effects of welfare reform implementation on eating breakfast, regular fruit/vegetable consumption, regular exercise, adequate sleep, time spent on homework, completion of assignments, participation in community activities or volunteering, participation in school athletics, participation in other school activities, and religious service attendance. We found no robust evidence that welfare reform affected any of these adolescent behaviors. In concert with the past research on welfare reform in the U.S. and adolescents, the findings do not support the implicit assumption underlying welfare reform that strong maternal work incentives would increase responsible behavior in the next generation and suggest that welfare reform had overall adverse effects on boys, who have been falling behind girls in terms of high school completion for decades. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Resources and the Development of Children and Adolescents)
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12 pages, 573 KiB  
Article
Co-Rooming Accounts for Socioeconomic Disparities in Infant Sleep Quality among Families Living in Urban Environments
by Morgan A. Finkel, Sonya V. Troller-Renfree, Jerrold S. Meyer and Kimberly G. Noble
Children 2022, 9(10), 1429; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/children9101429 - 21 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1425
Abstract
Poor infant sleep quality is associated with negative maternal and infant health outcomes. This study measures socioeconomic disparities in infant sleep quality, and assesses whether child sleep location and maternal stress mediate associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and infant sleep quality. The study [...] Read more.
Poor infant sleep quality is associated with negative maternal and infant health outcomes. This study measures socioeconomic disparities in infant sleep quality, and assesses whether child sleep location and maternal stress mediate associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and infant sleep quality. The study includes 86 socioeconomically diverse, mother-infant dyads living in an urban area with infants aged 6–12 months. Mothers reported socioeconomic demographics, infant sleep quality (Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire) and maternal subjective stress (Perceived Stress Scale). Maternal objective stress was measured via hair cortisol concentration (HCC). The associations among SES, infant sleep quality, infant co-rooming, and maternal stress were assessed. Infants from families with lower income-to-needs (ITN) ratios had poorer infant sleep quality. The association between familial ITN and infant sleep quality was mediated by whether the child co-rooms with parents. Maternal perceived stress was independently associated with infant sleep quality, but HCC was not associated with infant sleep quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Resources and the Development of Children and Adolescents)
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17 pages, 256 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Pandemic-Related Economic Disruption on Young Adolescents in Ireland
by Emer Smyth and Aisling Murray
Children 2022, 9(7), 1037; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/children9071037 - 12 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1636
Abstract
The sudden health and economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic affords an opportunity to examine the impact of economic disruption to children and families. Any negative effects on the well-being of children are important to consider in relation to both short- [...] Read more.
The sudden health and economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic affords an opportunity to examine the impact of economic disruption to children and families. Any negative effects on the well-being of children are important to consider in relation to both short- and long-term outcomes. Using pre-pandemic and mid-pandemic waves of the longitudinal Growing Up in Ireland study, we examined whether the impact of economic disruption was equivalent for families who were (or were not) financially vulnerable pre-pandemic. We then investigated whether economic disruption was associated with a negative effect on the emotional well-being of 12-year-olds, and if there was evidence for such a negative effect being mediated through a lack of material resources or strain on family dynamics. Our results indicated that middle-income rather than lowest-income families experienced the most economic disruption, likely reflecting the sector-specific nature of business closures in the pandemic. Families who were financially vulnerable pre-pandemic were less likely to have had suitable resources for homeschooling. Both falls in income and strain in family relationships, such as arguing more with their parents, were associated with poorer scores on a measure of the child’s emotional well-being. The emergency income support payment introduced at the start of the pandemic appeared to have a protective effect on the association between family income loss and child well-being, which has wider implications for policy on child poverty. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Resources and the Development of Children and Adolescents)
18 pages, 289 KiB  
Article
Poverty, Material Hardship, and Children’s Outcomes: A Nuanced Understanding of Material Hardship in Childhood
by Anika Schenck-Fontaine and Rebecca M. Ryan
Children 2022, 9(7), 981; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/children9070981 - 30 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2077
Abstract
There are four distinct, related types of material hardship—basic expense hardship, food insecurity, housing hardship, and medical hardship. Extant research has not sufficiently accounted for the complex relationships between these different types of material hardship. Using 1997 and 2002 data from the Panel [...] Read more.
There are four distinct, related types of material hardship—basic expense hardship, food insecurity, housing hardship, and medical hardship. Extant research has not sufficiently accounted for the complex relationships between these different types of material hardship. Using 1997 and 2002 data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Study on a national sample of 3- to 17-year-old children (N = 3563), this study describes the prevalence of each type of material hardship, their relative correlations, and their associations with children’s behavior problems, and reading and math scores. Material hardship is more prevalent than income poverty and the four types of material hardship were only moderately correlated with each other. Only basic expense hardship, food security, and one type of medical hardship were associated with increased behavior problems. Only housing hardship was associated with lower math and reading scores. These findings highlight the need to more carefully investigate the distinctions between material hardship types in childhood and the importance of a diversified set of policy responses to protect children from the possible effects of distinct, but interrelated experiences of material hardship. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Resources and the Development of Children and Adolescents)
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16 pages, 671 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Family Multi-Institutional Involvement on Children’s Health Management Practices
by Leslie Paik
Children 2022, 9(6), 828; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/children9060828 - 3 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1479
Abstract
Given the increasing prevalence of youths with chronic medical conditions and the racial, gender, and class disparities in health in the U.S., it is important to understand how families manage their youths’ health condition during the transitional time of adolescence when parents and [...] Read more.
Given the increasing prevalence of youths with chronic medical conditions and the racial, gender, and class disparities in health in the U.S., it is important to understand how families manage their youths’ health condition during the transitional time of adolescence when parents and youths are renegotiating their respective roles and responsibilities related to that condition. This paper explores a relatively understudied factor to this fraught and often confusing process: family involvement in multiple institutions for both health and non-health related issues. Based on qualitative fieldwork with 33 families in New York City whose youths have chronic health conditions (e.g., diabetes, asthma, obesity), the paper shows how family multi-institutional involvement can sap family resources in often unexpected ways. This type of institutional involvement has greater implications for poor and minority families who are more likely to be compelled to participate in these organizations with less influence to shape their cases as opposed to middle class and white families. In sum, this paper provides a more nuanced perspective of parental involvement in youths’ health management practices as a fluid evolving process shaped in part by family involvement in other institutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Resources and the Development of Children and Adolescents)
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