Anti-Poverty Cash Assistance Programs May Reduce Youth Mental Health Disorders

Low-income children whose families participated in anti-poverty programs that provided cash assistance had a lower likelihood of having internalizing mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression. In states that provided greater cash assistance (compared to those offering less) to low-income families, mental health disorders were reduced by 48%. In addition, low-income youth living in states with a higher cost of living had a higher risk of mental health disorders compared to low-income youth living in states with a lower cost of living.

These were the findings from analysis of data from the Adolescent Brain . . .