Trajectories of Poverty and Economic Hardship among American Families Supporting a Child with a Neurodisability
Caring for a child with a neurodisability (ND) impacts the financial decisions, relationships, and well-being of family members. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), we tracked families from 5 years before child with ND birth until the child reached 20 years of age and used latent growth curve modeling to estimate different trajectories for risk of two indicators: poverty and economic hardship. In bivariate terms, families raising a child with ND had higher risks of poverty and economic hardship across time. Five latent growth trajectories were identified for each indicator. After controlling for family and caregiver characteristics that preceded the birth of the child with an ND, families raising a child with a ND were more likely to experience persistent economic hardship. However, raising a child with a ND was not associated with a unique poverty risk, suggesting that families already in poverty are more likely to remain poor if they have a child with a ND. The study establishes descriptive evidence for how having a child with a ND relates to changes in family economic conditions. The importance of social and economic conditions that precede the child’s birth lend support for a social causation framework of health inequalities.