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Research Article
Open Access

Wealth and Child Development: Differences in Associations by Family Income and Developmental Stage

Portia Miller, Tamara Podvysotska, Laura Betancur, Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences August 2021, 7 (3) 154-174; DOI: https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2021.7.3.07
Portia Miller
aResearch associate in the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, United States
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Tamara Podvysotska
bDoctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, United States
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Laura Betancur
cPostdoctoral research associate at the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University, United States
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Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal
dProfessor of psychology and a research scientist in the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, United States
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Abstract

Wealth inequality is at a historic high in the United States. Yet little is known about the implications of wealth on children’s development because research has focused mainly on the role of wealth in shaping outcomes in adulthood. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (N = 8,095), we examine how family wealth relates to achievement and behavior problems during early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. Further, we explore whether links between wealth and children’s development vary by level of income and income volatility. Results show that wealth, controlling for income level and volatility, is uniquely related to both academic and behavioral development in early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. Moreover, evidence suggests that wealth plays a buffering role when it comes to protecting children’s development from the deleterious effects of low family income, especially as children grow older.

  • family wealth
  • family income
  • income volatility
  • child development
  • achievement
  • behavior problems
  • © 2021 Russell Sage Foundation. Miller, Portia, Tamara Podvysotska, Laura Betancur, and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal. 2021. “Wealth and Child Development: Differences in Associations by Family Income and Developmental Stage.” RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 7(3): 152–74. DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2021.7.3.07. Direct correspondence to: Portia Miller at plm11{at}pitt.edu, 521 Learning Research and Development Center, 3939 O’Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States.

Open Access Policy: RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences is an open access journal. This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences: 7 (3)
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
Vol. 7, Issue 3
1 Aug 2021
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Wealth and Child Development: Differences in Associations by Family Income and Developmental Stage
Portia Miller, Tamara Podvysotska, Laura Betancur, Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences Aug 2021, 7 (3) 154-174; DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2021.7.3.07

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Wealth and Child Development: Differences in Associations by Family Income and Developmental Stage
Portia Miller, Tamara Podvysotska, Laura Betancur, Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences Aug 2021, 7 (3) 154-174; DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2021.7.3.07
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • FRAMEWORKS FOR UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF WEALTH IN CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT
    • LINKS BETWEEN WEALTH AND CHILD OUTCOMES
    • DEVELOPMENTAL DIFFERENCES IN THE ROLE OF WEALTH
    • RESEARCH AIMS
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Keywords

  • family wealth
  • family income
  • income volatility
  • child development
  • achievement
  • behavior problems

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