Measures of Poverty, Subjective

Poverty is multifaceted, and it affects people in psychological, social, and economic spheres of their personhood and livelihood. Individuals who live in poverty are disproportionately of racial or cultural minority status; live in geographically under-resourced areas; experience food or housing insecurities; live in single-parent households; have limited education and human capital barriers; face a host of health and co-occurring comorbidities such as mental health issues; are victims of war, torture, trauma, dislocation, forced migration, and other losses; and suffer from alcohol and drug dependence, family stresses, and domestic violence. Economic vulnerability also undermines family functioning because it increases psychological stress, which reduces family and marital satisfaction, and decreases the quality of parenting. This vulnerable population are often regarded as lazy, unwilling to work, and leeches ...