Poverty Affects Child Brain Development More Than IQ, Study Finds

A family’s economic condition has a massive influence on a child’s brain development, even greater than intelligence level (IQ), parenting style, or health history. This finding was revealed in the latest research conducted by researchers from Washington University in the United States. The study shows that socio-economic factors account for about 16% of the variation in children’s brain function, making it the most dominant factor compared to various other aspects previously thought to determine child development. The research confirms that the environment in which a child grows up, including the family’s financial condition and the surrounding neighbourhood, plays a major role in shaping how their brain works. “The brains of children from low socio-economic backgrounds look like the brains of children from high socio-economic environments who are sleep-deprived and stressed,” said senior study author Nico Dosenbach. However, Dosenbach stressed that this condition does not mean children from poor families have less intelligent brains. He said the visible differences are more influenced by stress and lack of sleep factors often experienced by children in economically constrained conditions. He added that if there were a way to improve sleep quality and reduce stress levels in children from low-income families, then some of these differences in brain development could potentially be reduced. Poverty is indeed one of the biggest challenges for children worldwide. They are more vulnerable to living in poverty than adults, and the impact can last throughout their growth period. UNICEF data shows that nearly 900 million children worldwide experience multidimensional poverty, meaning they lack basic needs such as food, clean water, shelter, education, and healthcare services. In the study, the scientists analysed around 12,000 children aged 9 to 10 years. They studied the children’s living environment, health conditions, and daily activities. A total of 649 variables affecting brain development were examined and grouped into various categories, ranging from screen time, cognitive abilities, physical and mental health, parenting patterns, to race and gender factors. The results showed that the living environment and family financial status emerged as the most influential factors. These two factors are primarily linked to the function of the motor and sensory areas of the brain, which are very sensitive to changes in sleep quality and daily stress levels. Lead study author Scott Marek admitted he was surprised by the magnitude of the economic factor’s influence on child brain development. “I call it the ‘elephant in the brain’. I did expect socio-economic opportunity to have an effect, but I did not expect the impact to be this large. Its influence far exceeds other factors,” Marek said. According to him, just by looking at a child’s brain scan results, the research team can estimate the family’s economic condition, as well as know whether the child gets enough sleep and how long they use screen devices each day. Conversely, brain scans cannot show a child’s IQ level. These findings led Marek to believe that IQ may not be entirely rooted in biological brain factors. The environment in which a child grows up is considered to shape brain development in ways that have often been misinterpreted as differences in intelligence. “The environment shapes a child’s brain in ways that are often seen as a reflection of IQ, when in fact it more reflects stress and lack of sleep,” he said.