Running head: IMPACT OF POVERTY & CHRONIC STRESS

The Impact of Poverty and Chronic Stress on Students

Rachel Keefe

St. Bonaventure University

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IMPACT OF POVERTY & CHRONIC STRESS
Abstract

Poverty continues to increase in the United States. The rate of children living below

poverty in New York ranges from 22-23% (Kids Count Data Center). Living in poverty has

many implications on children. Whether the parents are working or absent, these children are

exposed to many risk factors that impact their development, education, and futures. There have

been studies showing that students need stimulating environments for their development, but this

is lacking in poverty-stricken environments due to lack of resources. Current research now shows

the impact of these environments on brain development as well as the lasting effects in

adulthood. These risk facts have serious implications for children across the state, country, and

world. Educators are able to offer several buffers, or protective factors, that are beneficial to

students exposed to poverty and chronic stress.

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Review of Literature

Poverty has many implications on child development. The majority are the result of

stressors affecting the entire family. Thompson and Haskins (2014) list the following

experiences: poverty, homelessness, witnessing abuse, conflict, neglect, foster care, and being

exposed/witnessing parental depression and mental illness (Thompson & Haskins, 2014). These

environments can impact students in numerous ways.

Less Cognitively Stimulating Environments

Children in poverty have less access to print materials (Evans & Kim, 2013). Similarly,

children in poverty tend to have fewer age-appropriate toys compared to children from affluent

backgrounds (Evans & Kim, 2013). Due to their parents working, children in poverty often have

fewer informal learning venues and more exposure to television (Evans & Kim, 2013). Children

from lower socioeconomic status conditions have less vocabulary-rich environments (Jensen,

2013). In general, children from lower income backgrounds tend to have access to fewer

educational materials, especially digital materials (Evans & Kim, 2013). Due to these less-

stimulating environments, children have short attention spans, higher distractibility, difficulty

self-monitoring, and difficulty problem-solving (Jensen, 2013). These differences in access to

these materials can also cause problems with working memory in addition to languages

(Thompson & Haskins, 2014).

Inattention and Lack of Support

Children are often exposed to less responsive parenting when living in poverty. This is

not to suggest that their parents do not care, but they are often busy working to support the

family. Due to this, parents who are living in poverty often pay less attention to their children

(Evans & Kim, 2013). This lesser attention sometimes means that parents are unable to socially
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support their children’s emotional needs (Evans & Kim, 2013). As children grow up, they have

more school work to complete outside of the school day. With their parents working, often

parents are unable to help with school work or offer instrumental support (Evans & Kim, 2013).

With working parents, sometimes they are not around to cook or ensure their children are

consuming a nutritious diet. This deficiency in nutrition can impact everyday ability to focus as

well as long-term, implications on growth and development (Jensen, 2013).

Subjected to More Conflict and Hostility

Low-income families are often subjected to more hostility and conflict (Evans & Kim,

2013). Hostile parenting in early childhood especially impacts a student both inside and outside

of school (Thompson & Haskins, 2014). Families living in poverty are also more likely to rely on

corporal punishment than affluent families (Evans & Kim, 2013). Exposure to hostility, violence,

and conflict are added stressors in an already stressful environment. The more severe the stress,

the more it can impact their development.

Elevated Chronic Stress

Children are often exposed to the stress and distress of their parents when living in

poverty (Jensen, 2013). The wide-array of stressors that children are exposed to can strain and

damage their biological systems (Thompson & Haskins, 2014). These stressors can impact their

psychological regulatory systems as well (Evans & Kim, 2013). After years of this strain and

damage, stress inside and outside of the home can become biologically embedded (Thompson &

Haskins, 2014).

The biological factors associated with stress can permanently damage the brain. Children

subjected to long-term chronic stress tend to have lower brain density than that of typical

children (Thompson & Haskins, 2014). The amygdala and prefrontal cortex play very important
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roles in every day function, especially when coping with stress and emotional regulation

(Pilyoung, et.al, 2013). In response to stress, a chemical called cortisol is released in the brain

(Kwak, 2017). Cortisol alters the immune and nervous system reactivity (Thompson & Haskins,

2014). This causes the brain to shut down and resort to basic functions such as the “fight or

flight” responses (Ebersӧhn, 2012). Repeated and prolonged exposure to Cortisol can undermine

biological systems and can cause permanent damage to the brain (Thompson & Haskins, 2014).

Lifelong struggles and stressors can cause mental illnesses such as depression (Plaks, Grant, &

Dweck, 2005). The changes in brain chemistry can also make it difficult to make relationship

and control impulses (Plaks, Grant, & Dweck, 2005).

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Data

Three teachers (from different districts in New York State) were interviewed. Each

participant knew the interview surrounded “How does poverty impact student achievement?” and

its implications on education. They were presented with the following questions:

 Describe poverty in your school

 Describe poverty in your classroom

 What impacts of poverty do you see on your students?

 What do you do to help them?

As each teacher answered their question, many of their responses were similar or overlapped

in each category. Following the interview, each participant was presented with the information

gathered through the review of literature.

Poverty in The School

All three teachers identified their schools as Title I schools. Their descriptions went on to

include general trends about the student population. Most of these comments included things

like, “Large portions of my students live under the poverty line. Many of them wear the same

clothes every day, have parents who don’t or can’t participate in their school life, miss many

days of school due to untreated illness and/or poor hygiene”. Similarly, another teacher said,

“We work with a very transient population. The struggle involves anything and everything from

not getting sleep because they got evicted to not having clothes appropriate to the weather

conditions”. The final teacher described the lack of available food and nutrition to her students;

“A lot of my students do not have food at home so we try to provide as much food and

opportunities to eat as possible”.

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Poverty in The Classroom

For this question, each teacher described specifically how he or she accommodated some

of the issues addressed in the first question. Teacher 1 said, “I have learned to set aside

classroom time for any kind of technology work. Many students do not have Wi-Fi or computer

access at home. Many of my students also work so are unable to use the library afterschool for

any assignments requiring technology”. Teacher 2 mentioned something similar. “Although

students are supplied with Chromebooks, they are often unable to access the internet at home,

when there are videos they need to watch, I provide a USB drive or CD that they can play in

their computer that will not require internet”. Teacher 3 described some of the other implications

of poverty in her classroom, “A lot of my students do not have materials (like pens, pencils,

paper) to do homework at home. I will either send them home with materials or ensure that they

have time during the school day to complete their work while having access to the materials”.

Impacts of Poverty

Two of these teachers shared specific stories while the other explained more general

trends. Teacher 1 shared, “There were a couple of students who told me, ‘I’m not going

anywhere, just like me parents’. Sometimes their motivation is hard to come by. I can’t blame

them. Many of my students are subjected to (or even participate in) substance use and abuse.

They have bigger problems than knowing how to digraph a sentence.” Similarly, Teacher 3

shared, “I have one student who has missed almost 15 days of schools so far this year. This little

girl is the one who needs to be at school in order to benefit from our supports. Unfortunately, her

mother works sporadically—sometimes up to an hour and a half away. She won’t send her

daughter to school because she has to leave before the school bus comes to pick her up. I have

another student whose parents work out of town and then when they are home they will keep
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their children home from school in order to spend time with them. It is very difficult situation to

try to navigate”. Teacher 2 described some more general trends that he had seen over his career.

“I have seen my students bullied for being ‘smelly’ because they may only have one sweater that

they wash once a week—if they are lucky. Some students have poor hygiene because they do not

have access to clean, warm water and soap, while I have had some other students who

intentionally remain “smelly” because they want to be alone. Some of these students are so

overwhelmed at home that school is their sanctuary where there is safety and structure”. Each of

the teachers described implications of poverty on children at school, including experiencing

abuse, lack of parental involvement, missing school, and inequity in access to resources.

Assistance

Each of these teachers provided very similar responses to what they do to assist these

students. All three teachers mentioned fundraising and donation opportunities to collect extra

clothing and supplies. Teacher 1 mentioned, “keeping a smile on [her] face” because “Seeing one

shred of positivity can mean the world to a student. I make sure I show them every day that I

care because I know so many of my students have parents who can’t or refuse”. Teacher 2

shared, “I have a drawer full of crackers, trail mix, and cereal. I make sure these students are able

to eat breakfast. Some of my kids who need breakfast the most are bussed from so far away that

breakfast is no longer served when they get to school. I make sure that they are fed. How can I

expect them learn when their basic needs aren’t being met? I have found that these small, but not

unnoticed gestures are the basis of building a great relationship with students.” Teacher 3 shared

something similar. “In the morning I tend to do some wake-up exercises that help get their brains

working and bodies moving, including eating breakfast. My young children especially need the

opportunity to eat and practice their table manners and conversation, while also working on
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problem-solving activities that help them work on their memory and recall.” Each of these

teachers mentioned the importance of them meeting the basic needs of their students while also

providing them with access to resources that they may not have at home.
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Discussion: Implications on Practice

Building Scaffolds and Working Memory

Due to the effects of chronic stress, many students living in poverty may have lower brain

density (Thompson & Haskins, 2014) and difficulties with their memory (Jensen, 2013). As

Teacher 3 mentioned, she buffers these risks with problem-solving strategies and brain-warmups.

Using memory building games allow students to increase their working memory, focus, and in-

turn, school performance. Embedding fun activities that include working memory exercises are

beneficial to student learning and development (Jensen, 2013).

Growth Mindset: Building Resiliency

As Teacher 1 mentioned, surrounding “positivity”, much research supports fostering

resiliency for students living in poverty. Students need to feel empowered in order to feel

motivated and engaged (Seale, 2017). Allowing students to feel empowered comes from

inspiring growth mindset. Students, especially young students, have a malleability of mindset

(Plaks, Grant, & Dweck, 2005). Embracing growth mindset encourages students to embrace

challenges and criticism, struggles, and setbacks (Lai, 2016). Teaching students explicitly how to

handle stress with problem-solving strategies is essential (Jensen, 2013). These students benefit

from the positivity and encouragement from respected adults because the relationship is the basis

for building resiliency (Ebersöhn, 2012).

Relationships

Relationship were something mentioned by all three teachers in their interviews. Building

this relationship is a key component in fostering resiliency and growth mindset (Ebersöhn,

2012). These relationships are important for other reasons as well. All students, but especially

students in poverty, need strong, caring adults (Jensen, 2013). Modeling healthy relationships
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can teach sensitivity, empathy, and understanding which are essential life skills (Thompson &

Haskins, 2014). Having these trusted adults and safe spaces, allow students to feel safe enough

to take risks in their learning (Plaks, Grant, & Dweck, 2005). Feeling safe, understood, and

appreciated are all important ingredients to student engagement and learning (Jensen, 2013). The

importance of relationships was suggested by each of the interview participants, but these

relationships help teach emotional regulation and ensure future success (Evans & Kim, 2013).
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Conclusion

The problems and implications surrounding students and families in poverty are not

going anywhere. Students in poverty are exposed to many risks (i.e. impacts on nutrition and

brain development, chronic stress, the cycle of poverty, etc.). Although these risks cannot be

eliminated, teachers may offer buffers for students. These protective factors include caring

relationships, providing supports to foster resiliency, and offering opportunities for working

memory exercises and engagement in real-world applications.

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