Children living in poverty who appear to succeed socially
may be failing biologically. Students able to overcome the stress of growing up
poor are labeled "resilient" because of their ability to overcome
adversity, but University of Georgia researchers found this resiliency has
health costs that last well into adulthood.
"Exposure to stress over time gets under the skin of
children and adolescents, which makes them more vulnerable to disease later in
life," said Gene Brody, founder and director of the UGA Center for Family
Research.