Rate of Homelessness

“Homeless families make up nearly four out of five (78 percent) of all homeless people residing each night in the NYC municipal shelter system. And homeless children comprise 41 percent of the total shelter population.” The report goes on to state that the average stay per family is over one year.

–State of the Homeless 2013 50,000: The Bloomberg Legacy of Record Homelessness

Poverty and psychosocial outcomes 

• Children living in poverty are at greater risk of behavioral and emotional problems.
• Some behavioral problems may include impulsiveness, difficulty getting along with peers, aggression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder.
• Some emotional problems may include feelings of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
• Poverty and economic hardship is particularly difficult for parents who may experience chronic stress, depression, marital distress and exhibit harsher parenting behaviors. These are all linked to poor social and emotional outcomes for children.”

– American Psychological Association

Positive Effects of Security Blankets  aka. Blankies

“A study by G. J. Ybarra, R. H. Passman, and C. Eisenberg found that during a routine third-year pediatric examination, the security object enhanced rapport with the examining nurse. Children attached to a blanket who were allowed access to it were rated as less distressed and experienced less physiological stress—as evidenced by heart rate and systolic blood pressure— than children undergoing the medical evaluation without their security object.”

Read more: Security Objects – Early history, Theoretical underpinnings, Cultural issues, Developmental trends, Advantages of having security objects, Alternatives to blankets – JRank Articles http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/561/Security-Objects.html#ixzz2hkF4xUK8