Description

Welcome to this episode of Mind the Kids, the podcast from the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. In an episode titled 'Income(ing): Poverty and Resilience' Dr. Jane Gilmour and Professor Umar Toseeb are joined by Dr. Divyangana Rakesh from King’s College London, to discuss her groundbreaking research on cognitive resilience among children growing up in poverty. The discussion centers on the paper 'Beyond the Income Achievement Gap: The Role of Individual, Family, and Environmental Factors in Cognitive Resilience Among Low-Income Youth' published in JCPP Advances. You can access the full article via DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12297. Dr. Rakesh shares insights into how some children manage to thrive cognitively despite economic hardship. As she explains, “Although growing up in poverty carries many risks, some children defy the odds and demonstrate positive cognitive outcomes. Identifying factors that promote such resilience in disadvantaged contexts is essential for informing interventions and policies.” She highlights the crucial role of family, community, and individual factors that can foster resilience and improve educational outcomes. Join us as we explore the complex interplay of these factors and what they mean for child mental health and societal action. This episode is essential listening for anyone invested in understanding and supporting young people’s development in disadvantaged contexts.

Learning Objectives

1. Discover how many children live in poverty and its links with mental health challenges in children.

2. Explore how the brain’s plasticity suggests that positive changes can improve outcomes and how resilience in children can be supported through social and emotional factors

3. Examine how expectations from parents can significantly influence children's educational trajectories.

4. Gain insight into how early intervention is crucial for improving cognitive outcomes in children and how social support systems are vital for fostering resilience in children.

5. Improve understanding of how chronic poverty has detrimental effects on both brain and body development and the importance of addressing structural barriers for effective intervention.

Paper Link

https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.12297