What protects immigrant children from some of the pernicious effects of poverty?
Poverty affects the mental health of all children. Economically disadvantaged children have higher rates of hyperactivity, emotional disorders and conduct disorders. Research shows that poverty has a stronger impact among native-born children than on immigrant children. Why does this difference exist? Poor Canadian families are more likely than non-poor families to be dysfunctional, to be headed by a single, often depressed parent with poor parenting skills. Statistical analysis indicates that most of the mental health problems of Canadian children stem from these family characteristics associated with poverty rather than resulting directly from material deprivation. By contrast, poor new immigrant families seem to be able to provide an environment more conducive to emotional support and stability. The mental health problems suffered by immigrant children are more likely to be solely due to poverty. Unemployment and poverty are initial conditions of adversity in a new land — the promis
