Mechanisms that mitigate the effects of child poverty and improve children's cognitive and social–emotional development: A systematic review

Abstract

The negative effects of poverty on children's development have been examined in many studies. Poverty exerts its influence on children indirectly through mediating pathways, some of which have powerful effects in reducing the impact of early economic deprivation. However, the literature on the mediating mechanisms through which poverty operates and influences children's cognitive and social–emotional development is limited. This review provides a systematic analysis of published and unpublished studies that investigate mediating mechanisms that have been found to be effective in reducing the effects of early childhood poverty and in improving children's cognitive and social–emotional development. The findings of this review suggest that positive parenting and cognitively stimulating home environments have the potential to enhance the developmental outcomes of children living in poverty—in particular, educational materials including books and computers and home learning activities such as reading and counting are salient for the outcomes of children living in poverty. Findings on the effects of early childhood programmes for low‐income children's development and well‐being are also discussed.