Timing of exposure to household poverty and adolescent mental health problems

We found the average effect of exposure to household poverty at any grade on mental health outcomes in eighth grade, failing to support the timing hypothesis. The findings indicate that the effects of household poverty accumulate over time in childhood and impact adolescent mental health (cumulative hypothesis) rather than the effects differ by the timing of exposure. While cumulative effects suggest a persistent intervention in poor households across childhood, we highlight intervention at any timing in childhood may be effective in alleviating adolescent mental health problems.