Childhood poverty, chronic stress, and adult working memory.
prospective_cohort · Level II
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 19332779.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.0811910106 and PMC identifier 2662958.
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Abstract
The income-achievement gap is a formidable societal problem, but little is known about either neurocognitive or biological mechanisms that might account for income-related deficits in academic achievement. We show that childhood poverty is inversely related to working memory in young adults. Furthermore, this prospective relationship is mediated by elevated chronic stress during childhood. Chronic stress is measured by allostatic load, a biological marker of cumulative wear and tear on the body that is caused by the mobilization of multiple physiological systems in response to chronic environmental demands.
Medical subject headings
- Memory
- Poverty
- Stress, Psychological