A new study reveals that children exposed to persistent poverty and poor parental mental health are at significantly higher risk of weapon involvement and police contact during adolescence.
The research, conducted by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) at the University of London, analyzed data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), a comprehensive longitudinal survey. According to the findings, around 32% of weapon involvement and 23% of police contact at age 17 can be attributed to persistent poverty and family adversity.
Children who experienced ongoing poverty and parental mental health issues throughout childhood were found to be more likely to carry weapons and have interactions with law enforcement compared to their peers from more stable backgrounds.
The study highlights that exposure to both poverty and poor parental mental health effectively doubles the risk of weapon use and police contact in early adulthood. This underscores the critical importance of life-course and anti-poverty strategies in reducing crime and violence among young people in the UK.
In particular, the study observed that 8.6% of children from the persistent poverty and poor parental mental health group reported weapon involvement, and 27.8% had police contact. In contrast, only 5.0% of children from backgrounds with low adversity and poverty had been involved with weapons, while 17.2% had been in contact with the police.
Furthermore, the study revealed that children who faced both persistent poverty and parental mental health challenges were more than five times more likely to be arrested or taken into police custody. They were also three times more likely to receive a police warning or caution and twice as likely to be stopped and questioned compared to those from more stable environments.
These findings point to a clear need for a “whole-system approach” to tackle the underlying issues contributing to youth crime and violence. The researchers emphasize the need for comprehensive, early intervention programs, supported by both national and local policies. This includes stronger support for families facing financial hardship or family adversity.
The study concludes that addressing these challenges early in a child’s life, across multiple sectors such as education, healthcare, and law enforcement, may help reduce risk-taking behaviors in adolescence and improve long-term outcomes for young people.
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