Poverty-related Stress and Developmental Behaviour among Low Socio-economic Groups: A Review

Abstract

As we are aware low socio-economic status (SES) and consequence poverty is a major social problem of any developing society. Sometimes the state's major revenue only goes to different welfare programmes to uplift the poor section of the society. Poverty-related stress causes certain mental issues like depression, aggression, and delinquency and frustration irrespective of age and gender, which may lead people to commit crimes and sometimes even suicide. Experts feel that anxiety, depression, adjustment problem, trauma, aggression, attention difficulties are some types of poverty-related psycho-pathological problems among the poor people. Poverty-related stress not only affects children and young adults, but it also creates stress on aged people in the family including marital conflict, problematic parenting, social crimes, weak child rating, etc in families. Consequently it affects the developmental behaviour of low SES people and poses the question on why the poor people have been socially excluded always. This article provides a social platform to conduct debates on the causes of poverty-related psychological issues on community and this article is based on the author's field work experiences in the low profile areas of Bangalore city- India