All this hardship is particularly tough on children, said Jane Zehnder-Merrell, Kids Count project director at the Michigan League for Public Policy. Researcher call it “toxic stress,” which is itself strongly associated with increased risks of lifelong health and social problems, including smoking, drug abuse, suicide, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, domestic violence and depression.
“We’re learning a lot about toxic stress,” Zehnder-Merrell said . “You’re always in this state of mind that I’ve got to fight or run away. It’s hard to think about the future.”
[For more of this story, written by Pat Shellenbarger, go to http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/08/down_and_out_in_lake_county.html]
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