For the research, children aged between three months and nine years were studied. Various aspects such as emotional and social development, physical health and learning outcomes were considered for the study.
The result of the study was that parenting skills and other social factors contribute in the development of children, according to Dr. Michael Dockery, lead study author and Director of the Centre for Labour Market Research at Curtin University.
"It is true that children born to wealthier families and more educated families do slightly better on average, but many children from lower socio-economic backgrounds also have above-average outcomes," he said.
Family socio-economic status widens the gap in children's development outcomes as they age.
Children from well-off families have better neighbourhoods, which help in shaping their overall growth, the study revealed. It also showed that as the children grow there is a change in their behavior, too.
However, a child's growth varies depending on the area's development. Dr. Dockery said that living on a farm or in better neighbourhoods contributes to better physical health in children.
The research also found that better urban planning like access to parks, open grounds and playing areas has a positive outcome on children even though sometimes it means living in higher density areas like apartment complexes.
For a child's emotional well being, parenting skills play a greater role than place of dwelling. Dr. Dockery also stressed on the fact that shifting, renting rather than owning and facing financial issues negatively impact a child's social and emotional wellbeing."For learning outcomes, living in crowded housing has the largest negative impact."
The research found two key groups whose circumstances and inferior dwellings impacted a child's development greatly-single parent and indigenous Australians.
