Economic hardship is associated with an increased risk of poor parental mental health, and parents’ mental health is also associated with poorer mental health of their children. The correlation has been shown to be stronger in situations of severe material poverty and high food insecurity.
Several studies have shown that children growing up in a socio-economically disadvantaged household have fewer opportunities for development, particularly in the cognitive dimension, but also in the emotional or behavioural dimension. Other studies have shown that economic hardship increases psychosocial distress in children even as a result of the poor mental health of their parents. Thus, adults’ worries about insufficient financial resources hinder adequate parenting. Economic stress increases couple conflicts and encourages inconsistent parenting practices, whether they are more rigid or laxer. Other determinants are also important for children’s maximum development, in particular the difference between receiving or not receiving public benefits, the quality of schools and/or the neighbourhood environment. To understand the interrelationship of some of these elements, a representative sample of households with children from the Health Survey carried out by the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB) in the city in 2016, when the effects of the economic crisis were still persisting, with unemployment rates of around 27% (2012), was analysed.
Households with financial difficulties have worse mental health indicators, both for parents and their children
The research looked at three types of economic hardship in the household: parental employment status, material poverty and food insecurity. The aim was to compare how any of these situations affect the mental health of parents and, by extension, their children. In all cases, it has been shown that situations of economic hardship lead to a higher risk of poor mental health of parents and this is also associated with poorer mental health of their children. The correlation has been shown to be stronger in situations of severe material poverty and high food insecurity. Parents with a higher risk of poor mental health have also been shown to have a more inconsistent parenting style with their children.
Poverty and food insecurity linked to increased withdrawal and sadness in children
Regarding the first dimension (externalisation of distress), the weight of poor parental mental health in the poor mental health of children in financial difficulties is demonstrated. On the other hand, regarding the second dimension (internalising distress), the association between experiencing financial difficulties at home and the child’s depression-related problems is direct (it is independent of the mental health status of the parents). This direct relationship may be related to the fact that children suffer directly from economic hardship, for example, in changes in mealtime routines, or in reduced food availability which in turn leads to physical debilitation and affects children’s feelings of withdrawal or sadness. A situation of persistent poverty also aggravates this mechanism of child depression.
In parallel to these findings, other studies have also found associations between persistent poverty and problems of hyperactivity, decreased self-control and worsening interpersonal relationships in children. Unfortunately, sample limitations have not allowed us to know whether the effects of economic hardship on children’s mental health are stronger in certain subgroups of households. However, there is some evidence to suggest that single-parent households are most at risk of poverty. Nor was it possible to discern whether the effects on children differed according to the relationship with the mother or the father, since, as the literature indicates, it changes according to who takes on household, care and/or paid work roles. In any case, the conclusion is clear: children living in more disadvantaged households experience less psychosocial well-being and internalise this feeling.
A healthy and safe housing environment is also important
Parents’ opinions on whether they consider the neighbourhood where they live to have a problem with violence are used to analyse the influence of the neighbourhood environment. Although with limitations, with this indicator we wanted to capture the importance of the quality of the neighbourhood environment on children’s mental health beyond the economic difficulties of the household. The results show that the opinion on violence in the neighbourhood is associated in all cases with poor mental health of parents and also of children. Consistent with other studies, one of the aspects that children value most highly is a safe environment, both at school and in their neighbourhoods. As the latest analysis of the Survey of Subjective Well-being of Children in Barcelona (2021) shows, feeling safe and secure is the variable most closely linked to children’s life satisfaction.
Children’s mental and physical well-being is relevant, not only for their present, but also because it has consequences for their adult life. Children who grow up in economically disadvantaged environments are more likely to be in precarious jobs with lower incomes and have poorer health indicators, among other negative effects.
What should be done about this?
Several lines of intervention are feasible to preserve the best possible mental health for children. Firstly, from the point of view of family finances, alleviating the lack of resources, whether by increasing or extending minimum wages, by reducing taxes, or by promoting transfer programmes for necessities or other similar programmes, would have the potential to improve the mental health of parents and/or mothers and, therefore, also that of their children. Public policies that facilitate the provision of quality goods and services to children are also favourable, such as support for school canteens and childcare, ensuring accessibility to childcare facilities, or greater work flexibility to facilitate family reconciliation. A second line of action is interventions that combine the education of parents and children, as well as those aimed at improving parenting skills, which require fewer resources than those aimed at both generations. Finally, urban actions aimed at promoting safe, healthy and enriching leisure environments, such as play spaces, green and quality environments, are recommended.
