EFFECTS OF POVERTY AND QUALITY OF THE HOME-ENVIRONMENT ON CHANGES IN THE ACADEMIC AND BEHAVIORAL-ADJUSTMENT OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL-AGE-CHILDREN

Examined the effects of poverty and the quality of the home environmen t on changes in the academic and behavioral adjustment of elementary s chool-age children. Analyses are based on a subset of children (n = 47 3) from a national data set. The children completed an academic achiev ement measure in 1986 (when they were 5 to 8 years old) and again in 1 990. Mothers provided ratings of their children's behavior at the same time points. Results showed that prior poverty status (number of year s in poverty from 1982 to 1985) predicted decreases in math and readin g scores and increases in antisocial behavior (from 1986 to 1990). How ever, number of years in poverty between the 1986 assessment and the 1 990 assessment failed to predict changes in adjustment over and above prior poverty status. Quality of the home environment between the two assessments predicted positive changes in adjustment after accounting far poverty status. These effects were independent of child characteri stics (i.e., sex, age, and race) and relevant family background/demogr aphic risk factors that are associated with poverty (i.e., number of c hildren at home, presence of a father figure, mother's age at child's birth, and mother's education).