Family income is associated with differences in children’s brain development and mental health. This can, in turn, affect later-life outcomes. But it isn’t known how broader social factors, such as the cost of living and the social safety net, can affect the strength of these associations. [NIH Research Matters]

The study suggests that social safety nets can help improve children’s brain development and mental health.

An NIH-funded research team, led by Dr. David Weissman at Harvard University, examined how these differences in children’s brain development and mental health vary across states with different costs of living and anti-poverty programs. To do so, they analyzed data on more than 10,000 children, ages 9-11, from 17 states in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.

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