Stress in low-income families can affect children’s learning I am very excited about this. This is, as far as I know, the first study to attempt to measure the degree of chaos in the home. The researchers in an earlier-mentioned study (Related: Poor children have smaller brains) speculated that “poor families tend to live more chaotic lives, and that stress could inhibit healthy brain development.” The current study seems to indicate that it is directly so. As of this writi