Developmental risks and psychosocial adjustment among low-income Brazilian youth

Mental health among adolescents exposed to social inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean: a scoping review

Background and objective

Adolescents from Latin America and the Caribbean grow up in a context of social inequality, which diminishes their well-being and leads to impaired emotional-cognitive development. To understand the problem, it is important to synthesize the available research about it. This study aims to explore the knowledge about adolescents' mental health in Latin America and the Caribbean exposed to social inequality.

Methods

A systematic scoping review was conducted encompassing a search in five databases (Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and LILACS) in June 2022. Articles of various typologies were included without time limit. After two rounds of screening, relevant data were manually extracted and synthesized into self-constructed themes using thematic analysis.

Results

Out of 8,825 retrieved records, 42 papers were included in the final review, with a predominance of quantitative approaches. The synthesis revealed two main analytical themes: (a) defining social inequality, wherein intersecting inequalities produce discrimination and determine conditions for social vulnerability; (b) social inequality and mental health, which highlights the association between socio-structural difficulties and emotional problems, amplifying vulnerability to mental ill health and poor mental health care.

Conclusion

The scientific evidence reveals that social inequality is related to impaired well-being and mental ill health on the one hand and a lack of access to mental health care on the other hand.

Developmental co-ordination disorder in socially disadvantaged Brazilian children

BACKGROUND

The consequences of developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) indicate a need for identification in order to provide adequate intervention. The goals of the study were to investigate DCD prevalence across age bands, gender, race and school performance; the motor difficulties of children with DCD, at-risk and typically developing children in the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) sub-tests across age bands and gender; and the relationship between motor outcomes, age, gender and socio-economic status (SES) in socially disadvantaged Brazilian children.

METHODS

The MABC was administered to 1056 Brazilian children from 4 to 10 years old.

RESULTS

Eighteen per cent of the children were screened as probable DCD (≤5th percentile) and a further 15% as at risk for DCD (>5th and ≤15th percentile). Significantly more children were screened with probable DCD at age 9-10 years (AB3: P = 0.00), whereas at risk classification was equally distributed across age bands (P = 0.12). Boys showed lower prevalence than girls of probable DCD and at risk for DCD (P = 0.04). Children (9-10 years) showed higher motor impairment in the manual dexterity test results. Children with probable DCD and at risk of DCD showed, in general, poor performance in balance and manual dexterity tasks. SES was the strongest predictor of motor outcomes, accounting for 21% of the variance in the MABC percentile scores.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of probable and at-risk DCD cases as well as the percentage of female were higher than those found in the previous studies, and low SES enhances the risk of poor motor development.

Contextual variables associated with psychosocial adjustment of adolescents

This study investigated associations of contextual variables of risk (stressful events and exposure to community violence), variables of protection (family environment, connectivity to the school and community perceptions) and demographic variables (gender and age) with indicators of psychosocial adjustment (self-esteem, involvement in illegal activities and alcohol use in past month) among adolescents. The participants were 685 students (61.5% girls) aged between 12 and 18 years (M = 15.10, SD = 1.52) of public schools in southern Brazil. They answered a questionnaire with 77 questions and an inventory for assessment of family relationships. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the negative perception of family environment, poor connectivity to the school and exposure to community violence were associated with low self-esteem. Involvement in illegal activities was associated with low connectivity to school, stressful events, exposure to community violence and male sex. Finally, alcohol use/month was associated with negative perception of the community, community violence, stressful events, and particularly at the ages of 15-16 years.

Epidemiology of childhood conduct problems in Brazil: systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

This study aimed to review evidence on the prevalence of and risk factors for conduct problems in Brazil.

METHODS

We searched electronic databases and contacted Brazilian researchers up to 05/2012. Studies were included in the review if they reported the prevalence of or risk factors for conduct problems, conduct disorder, or oppositional defiant disorder for 100 + Brazilian children aged ≤18 years, systematically sampled in schools or the community. Prevalence rates and sex differences were meta-analysed. Risk factor studies were reviewed one by one.

RESULTS

The average prevalence of conduct problems in screening questionnaires was 20.8%, and the average prevalence of conduct disorder/oppositional defiant disorder was 4.1%. There was systematic variation in the results of screening studies according to methodology: recruitment location, informants, instruments, impairment criterion for case definition, and response rates. Risk factors previously identified in high-income countries were mainly replicated in Brazil, including comorbid mental health problems, educational failure, low religiosity, harsh physical punishment and abuse, parental mental health problems, single parent family, and low socioeconomic status. However, boys did not always have higher risk for conduct problems than girls.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies using screening questionnaires suggest that Brazilian children have higher rates of conduct problems than children in other countries, but diagnostic studies do not show this difference. Risk factors in Brazil were similar to those in high-income countries, apart from child sex. Future research should investigate developmental patterns of antisocial behaviour, employ a variety of research designs to identify causal risk mechanisms, and examine a broader range of risk factors.

Um estudo sobre os fatores de risco e proteção associados à violência sexual cometida contra adolescentes e jovens adultos

O estudo teve como objetivo identificar fatores de risco/proteção associados à ocorrência de violência sexual cometida contra adolescentes/jovens brasileiros, tanto no âmbito familiar como comunitário. Participaram do estudo 7316 jovens com idades entre 14 e 24 anos (M = 16,19; DP = 1,82), sendo 3335 do sexo masculino. Os participantes provieram do estudo Juventude Brasileira. Do total da amostra, 6,6% dos participantes revelaram serem vítimas de violência sexual no âmbito familiar e 6,0% no comunitário. O apoio familiar surgiu como uma variável de proteção, tanto para a violência na família quanto na comunidade. O ser menina e consumir álcool apareceram como variáveis de risco para ambos os domínios. Além disso, ter um familiar preso e alcoolismo na família foram variáveis identificadas como de risco no âmbito familiar, enquanto o ter passado fome, ter sofrido violência na comunidade e ter envolvimento com o tráfico foram as variáveis de risco associadas à violência sexual na comunidade.

Brazilian approaches to understanding and building resilience in at-risk populations

In this article, the authors present studies related to the concept of resilience as they emerged in Brazil. First, the article describes current definitions and some methodologic approaches developed and used by Brazilian researchers in their investigations. Then it focuses on studies conducted in different parts of the country, emphasizing the resilience process in children, youth, and families of different at-risk conditions. Finally, the article illustrates the applications of those findings on intervention, prevention, social policies, and clinical practice.