Poverty as a risk of psychosocial development of a child

Ekonomska kriza koja je obilježila početak 21. stoljeća uzrokovala je problem porasta stope siromaštva, koji je aktualan i danas. Posebice se ističe problem dječjeg siromaštva. Djeca su postala posebno ranjiva skupina zahvaćena siromaštvom koje ima učinke na njihov psihosocijalni razvoj. Siromaštvo se spoznaje kroz rizične čimbenike odnosno kroz zaposlenost, obrazovanje, zdravstveni status, vrstu naselja, tip obitelji te broj ovisne djece. Kao moguće posljedice izloženosti rizičnim čimbenicima javljaju se zlostavljanje i zanemarivanje te socijalna isključenost koje mogu dovesti do nepoželjnih obrazaca ponašanja u vidu agresije i povlačenja. Ističe se važna uloga zaštitnih čimbenika koji nastoje sprječiti nepovoljno djelovanje rizičnih čimbenika te dovode do pozitivnih posljedica za psihosocijalni razvoj djeteta.The economic crises that defined the beginning of the 21st century, caused the problem of rising poverty rates, which are still relevant to this day. Child poverty is particularly prominent. Children have become a particularly vulnerable group affected by poverty that has effects on their psychosocial development. Poverty is recognized throughout different risk factors, some of which are employment, education, health status, type of settlement, type of family and the number of children who are dependent on their caregivers. The possible consequences of being exposed to these risk factors are abuse and neglect, as well as, social exclusion, which can result in undesirable patterns of behavior int the form of aggression and withdrawal. The important role of protective factors, which seek to prevent the adverse effects of the risk factors and lead to positive consequences for the psychosocial development of children, is emphasized