An observer-based, standardized index of housing quality (structural quality, privacy, indoor climate, hazards, cleanliness/clutter, and children’s resources) is significantly related to psychological distress and a behavioral index of learned helplessness, which reflects an important component of human motivation. Independent of household income, third-through fifth-grade children residing in poorer quality housing have more psychological symptoms and less task persistence than their counterparts living in better quality housing.
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