Poverty: Implications and strategic options for applied psychologists, clinicians, and service providers

Abstract

Poverty is associated with both low education and adverse health outcomes for all demographic groups. This chapter examines the federal definition of poverty and recent statistics on the incidence of poverty rates within the United States. Section I of the chapter examines statistical evidence relevant to the causes, duration, and consequences of poverty. Section II examines the question: Why is it so difficult to achieve good outcomes for individuals with low income and low levels of education? The chapter concludes with a discussion of five pathways by which system-level issues constrain individual decisions and behaviors, as well as the implications of these constraints for professionals providing services to individuals and families with low levels of income and education.