low graphics version | feedback | help
| Front Page World |
| UK |
|
Northern Ireland Scotland Wales |
| UK Politics Business Sci/Tech Health Education Sport Entertainment Talking Point In Depth AudioVideo |
Money 'not key to children's happiness'
'More pocket money does not mean more happiness'
Receiving more pocket money does not make children any happier, according to new research.
And family wealth makes no difference to children's worry levels, the study shows.
But campaigners have warned the findings must not lead to complacency over child poverty.
And family wealth makes no difference to children's worry levels, the study shows.
But campaigners have warned the findings must not lead to complacency over child poverty.
 Will a bigger piggy bank make him happy?
|
Professor Jonathan Bradshaw of York University has been studying the relationship between family wealth and a sense of mental well-being in children aged between 11 and 15.
Pocket money was only one of the factors the study looked at.
"We found that increased pocket money didn't make any difference to the well-being of young people," Professor Bradshaw told the BBC's Today programme.
The study measured poverty in a number of ways including income, lack of possessions and whether a family was on income support.
"We found that children's levels of sadness, worrying or happiness weren't affected by these variables," Professor Bradshaw said.
'Coping mechanisms'
Martin Barnes, the Director of the Child Poverty Action Group, warned that the report should not lead people to think that child poverty is not damaging.
"All the research points out that it is - both in childhood and in the longer term," he said.
He said children aged between 11 and15 were more likely to die through accidents or suicide, be excluded from schools and perform badly in terms of educational opportunities.
He said that children in poorer families had "coping mechanisms" to help them deal with poverty.
"They learn to be poor," Mr Barnes said. "They lower their ambitions, they lower their career goals."
Relationships vital
Professor Bradshaw said there was no doubt that poverty had a terrible effect on children.
But he said it was not necessarily the most important factor when talking about children's mental health.
"The key determinates of children's mental well-being are relationships with parents and peers, rather than the level of income they are living on," he said.
He said he was surprised by the survey's findings.
"Young people are not just victims of their circumstances but are able to be resilient actors in their own rights with the support of their parents and peers."
Mr Barnes said parents on low income made sacrifices to protect their children.
"Perhaps it is not surprising that 11-15-year-olds are immune from the stresses on their families."
But he said: "You do start to see conditions of mental health and well-being start to deteriorate because of the damaging experience of being brought up in a low-income household," he said.
Pocket money was only one of the factors the study looked at.
"We found that increased pocket money didn't make any difference to the well-being of young people," Professor Bradshaw told the BBC's Today programme.
The study measured poverty in a number of ways including income, lack of possessions and whether a family was on income support.
"We found that children's levels of sadness, worrying or happiness weren't affected by these variables," Professor Bradshaw said.
'Coping mechanisms'
Martin Barnes, the Director of the Child Poverty Action Group, warned that the report should not lead people to think that child poverty is not damaging.
"All the research points out that it is - both in childhood and in the longer term," he said.
He said children aged between 11 and15 were more likely to die through accidents or suicide, be excluded from schools and perform badly in terms of educational opportunities.
He said that children in poorer families had "coping mechanisms" to help them deal with poverty.
"They learn to be poor," Mr Barnes said. "They lower their ambitions, they lower their career goals."
Relationships vital
Professor Bradshaw said there was no doubt that poverty had a terrible effect on children.
But he said it was not necessarily the most important factor when talking about children's mental health.
"The key determinates of children's mental well-being are relationships with parents and peers, rather than the level of income they are living on," he said.
He said he was surprised by the survey's findings.
"Young people are not just victims of their circumstances but are able to be resilient actors in their own rights with the support of their parents and peers."
Mr Barnes said parents on low income made sacrifices to protect their children.
"Perhaps it is not surprising that 11-15-year-olds are immune from the stresses on their families."
But he said: "You do start to see conditions of mental health and well-being start to deteriorate because of the damaging experience of being brought up in a low-income household," he said.
|
Search BBC News Online |
|
|
 Advanced search options | |
| |
 | |
 | |
| |
 | BBC RADIO NEWS |
| |
| |
 | BBC ONE TV NEWS |
| |
| |
| WORLD NEWS SUMMARY |
| |
| |
| |
| |
 | PROGRAMMES GUIDE |
See also:
Internet links:
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Links to other UK stories are at the foot of the page.
E-mail this story to a friend
~RS~a~RS~international~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~57~RS~)