Kentsel ve Kırsal Yoksullukta Yaşam Koşulları, Ebeveynlik ve Çocukların Günlük Aktiviteleri

Abstract

Poverty is a risk factor for children's development in several domains. However, since urban and rural poverty differ in terms of living conditions, they are related to different risk factors. The current study aims to compare the living conditions of urban and rural poverty, parenting behaviors, and children's daily activities. The participants were 275 mothers living in disadvantaged urban and rural regions. The data were collected via scales and openended questions. The results indicated that income-to-needs ratio, fathers' education level, food insecurity, home stimulation (educational materials and activities), physical resources (i.e., market, kindergarten, hospital) in the neighborhood, neighborhood stress (i.e., fighting, noise), and mothers' expectations for their children's educational attainment were higher in urban poverty, whereas, social relations and physical qualities (i.e., security, cleanliness) of the neighborhood and support from neighbors were higher in rural poverty. Additionally, mothers from rural regions reported the importance of neighborhood quality in child development more frequently. When the content of the conversations with children was examined, mothers from urban poverty talked to their children about advice and stimulating activities more frequently, whereas mothers from rural poverty talked about future and household chores more frequently. Moreover, children living in urban poverty were playing with tablets, whereas children living in rural poverty were spending time on farms and interacting with animals. The findings are important in terms of indicatingthe similarities and differences in child-rearing conditions and parenting in urban and rural poverty. The results are expected to guide future studies regardingthe role of urban and rural poverty in children's development.