Children in poorer families have fewer friends, and their school performance suffers, according to a recent study.
Ten percent of children coming from a family with a low social status say they feel uncomfortable at school, reported NRK news.
Researcher, Tormod Bøe, studied child poverty in Askøy, Fjell, Sund and Øygarden municipalities. In the study, responses from over 1,100 5th to 10th graders were analysed, and 1,300 parents.
‘Some said they can’t afford dinner daily, or that they don’t attend birthday parties because they can’t afford gifts’, said Bøe, who works at a regional knowledge center for children and young people in Uni Research Health.
The survey also shows that one in six children from poor families don’t have a best friend.
‘We see that there is a social difference if they invite friends home with them, or if they want to go on visits to others.
It can interpreted that some children do not want to have people visiting their homes, because they feel that the house isn’t good enough, or the TV isn’t big enough’, said Bøe.
‘In a country like Norway, where many have a good economic status, it is more difficult to be poorer. It may become shameful’, he said.
In this study, the poverty line is defined as a family having less than 60% of the average family income in Norway.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
