Persistent poverty harms the cognitive development of children, but family instability has no effect, a new study suggests.

Researchers analyzed data collected from almost 19,000 British children and their families when the children were 9 months, 3 years and 5 years old. The data provided insight into family poverty, family transitions, family demographics and housing conditions.
The study found that children in stable two-parent families showed higher cognitive abilities than those in one-parent families or those who experienced a change in living arrangements.
They also found that children growing up in persistent poverty scored lower on cognitive tests than those who had never experienced poverty.
After they accounted for a number of factors, the researchers concluded there was no link between family structure/instability and a child's cognitive ability, but persistent poverty did have a strong and significant negative effect on a child's cognitive functioning at 5 years of age.
(Source: HealthDay News)