Poverty is the single most important predictive factor of child and adult functioning. As noted, mothers who are single heads of household have incomes far below those of other family units. Children who grow up in low SES families usually face stress levels that remains high, and resource pathways are low. This leads to physical health complications. Family stress that build up with economic strains also lead to less optimal parenting behaviour. Results from different studies also show the longer a child lives in poverty, the more negative the effect on IQ test scores and other measures of cognitive functioning. Symptoms like depression and anxiety tend to influence the individual likelihood of receiving social help. Kim needs to recognize
