Poverty, emotion development, and brain development: The effects of a poverty reduction intervention on early childhood development

Poverty affects 1.3 million children in Canada and is especially harmful to a child's health and development during the first few years of life. Growing up in poverty places children at high risk for developing depression, possibly by shaping the function of brain areas that support emotional development. For these reasons, we need to intervene early to prevent depression and invest in anti-poverty policies to promote the mental health and brain function of poor children. Unfortunately, the development of effective preventions for depression and investment in tax-free child benefits have been slow, in part because we do not know if income is related to brain function that supports emotional development and mental health in young children, and if poverty reduction causes changes to this brain function. To address these gaps, my research will test if family income is related to emotional brain activity in infants, and if a poverty reduction intervention causes changes to emotional brain activity in children from low-income families. First, I will test if lower family income is related to poorer emotional brain activity in 200 infants. In a second study, 1000 low-income mothers received either a high-cash monthly gift ($333) to boost their family income or a low-cash monthly gift ($20) for the first four years of their children's lives. I will test if children whose mothers received the high-cash gift show healthier emotional brain activity than children whose mothers received the low-cash gift. Combined, my research will help us understand the link between poverty and emotional brain activity in infants and young children. It will also show if we can promote healthier emotional brain activity by increasing family income. Ultimately, my findings will inform more effective early preventions for depression and will provide Canadian policymakers with strong evidence of the likely benefits of income-support policies on children's brain development and mental health.