New Article: David G. Weissman, Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, Mina Cikara, Katie A. McLaughlin & Deanna M. Barch, Social Safety Net Mitigates the Impact of Poverty on Brain Development and Mental Health, Policy Brief, 12 U.C. Davis Ctr. for Poverty & Ineq. Rsch. (Sept. 2023).
In a recent study, we explored the relationship between state-level macrostructural characteristics, such as cost of living and anti-poverty programs, and the magnitude of socioeconomic disparities in brain development and mental health. To do so, we analyzed data covering more than 10,000 children across 17 US states. We found that lower income was associated with smaller hippocampal volume (a brain region involved in learning and memory) and higher internalizing psychopathology (denoting conditions such as depression and anxiety).
These associations were stronger in states with higher cost of living. However, socioeconomic disparities in hippocampal volume were reduced by 34 percent in high-cost-of-living states that provide more generous cash benefits for low-income families. In these states, the association of family income with hippocampal volume resembled that in states with the lowest cost of living. We also observed similar patterns for internalizing psychopathology.
Our findings suggest that generous state-level anti-poverty policies may help to address the relationship of low income with brain development and mental health, particularly in states with high cost of living.
Poverty Law 