Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
  1. Home
  2. Search

Refine search

Refine search

Access:
Content type:
Publication date:
Apply   From and To filters
Subject: Show more
Journals Show more
Publishers: Show more
Societies Show more
Series: Show more
Collections: Show more

Actions for selected content:

Select all | Deselect all
  • View selected items
  • Export citations
  • Download PDF (zip)
  • Save to Kindle
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Save to Google Drive

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
Cancel
×

1 results

  • Chapter 4 - Poverty and Deprivation: Getting Under the Skin

  • from Section 1 - Social Exclusion, Poverty, and Inequality
  • Jed Boardman, King's College London, Helen Killaspy, University College London, Gillian Mezey, St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London
  • Book:
    Social Inclusion and Mental Health
    Published online:
    24 November 2022
    Print publication:
    08 December 2022, pp 57-86

  • Summary

    In this chapter we examine the historical background to poverty research, the definition and concepts of poverty, and how is it experienced by individuals, families, and communities. The focus is mainly on the UK and on qualitative studies. Poverty is a cause of human suffering and the experiences of people living in poverty are mediated by social divisions such as gender, ethnicity, and disability. It can be understood in terms of the need of material resources, but also in terms of its psychosocial effects. It has clear effects on mental and physical health. Many aspects of the lives of people in poverty parallel the position of people with mental health conditions: lack of agency, opportunity, and voice; living compromised lives with stigma and discrimination; and struggling with day-to-day functioning, employment, and housing. Poverty impacts negatively on self-esteem and produces feelings of shame and guilt in response to inadequate material and social situations. It is possible that some of the mechanisms for understanding mental ill-health may also be shared with those related to poverty.