onditional cash transfers and adolescent mental health in Brazil: Evidence from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohor

Author(s):Show less -

Ziebold, Carolina ^[1] ; Paula, Cristiane Silvestre ^[1] ; Santos, Ina S. ^{[2, 3]} ; Barros, Fernando C. ^[4] ; Munhoz, Tiago N. ^[5] ; Lund, Crick ^{[6, 7]} ; McDaid, David ^[8] ; Araya, Ricardo ^[6] ; Bauer, Annette ^[8] ; Garman, Emily ^[7] ; Park, A-La ^[8] ; Zimmerman, Annie ^{[6, 9]} ; Hessel, Philipp ^[10] ; Avendano, Mauricio ^{[10, 11]} ; Evans-Lacko, Sara ^[8] ; Matijasevich, Alicia ^{[2, 12]}

Affiliation:Show less -

^[1] Univ Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Programa Posgrad Disturbios Desenvolvimento, Rua Consolacao 896 Predio 28, 1 Andar Consolacao, BR-01302907 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Pelotas, Postgrad Program Epidemiol, Pelotas, RS - Brazil

^[3] Pontificia Univ Catolica Rio Grande do Sul, Sch Med, Postgrad Program Pediat & Child Hlth, Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[4] Univ Catolica Pelotas, Postgrad Program Hlth & Behav, Pelotas, RS - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Pelotas, Fac Psychol, Pelotas, RS - Brazil

^[6] Kings Coll London, Inst Psychiat Psychol & Neurosci, Ctr Global Mental Hlth, Hlth Serv & Populat Res Dept, London - England

^[7] Univ Cape Town, Dept Psychiat & Mental Hlth, Alan J Flisher Ctr Publ Mental Hlth, Cape Town - South Africa

^[8] London Sch Econ & Polit Sci, Dept Hlth Policy, Care Policy & Evaluat Ctr, London - England

^[9] Kings Coll London, Dept Global Hlth & Social Med, London - England

^[10] Univ Los Andes, Escuela Gobierno Alberto Lleras Camargo, Bogota - Colombia

^[11] Univ Lausanne, Dept Epidemiol & Hlth Syst, Ctr Primary Care & Publ Hlth Unisante, Lausanne - Switzerland

^[12] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med FMUSP, Dept Med Prevent, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: OURNAL OF GLOBAL HEALT; v. 11, 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Background Young people living in poverty are at higher risk of mental disorders, but whether interventions aimed to reduce poverty have lasting effects on mental health has not been well established. We examined whether exposure to Brazil's conditional cash transfers programme (CCT), Bolsa Familia (BFP), during childhood reduces the risk of mental health problems in early adolescence. Methods We used data from 2063 participants in the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort study. Propensity score matching (PSM) estimated the association between BFP participation at age 6 and externalising problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire - SDQ and violent behaviour) and socio-emotional competencies (Development and Well-Being Assessment questionnaire, and the Nowick-Strickland Internal-External Scale) at age 11. Results PSM results suggest that programme participation at age of six was not significantly associated with externalising problems (P = 0.433), prosocial behaviour (P = 0.654), violent behaviour (P = 0.342), social aptitudes (P = 0.281), positive attributes (P = 0.439), or locus of control (P = 0.148) at the age of 11 years. Conclusions Participation in BFP during childhood was not associated with improved or worsened mental health in early adolescence. While we cannot fully discard that findings may be due to adverse selection, results suggest that CCTs alone may not be sufficient to improve mental health outcomes and would be prudent to assess whether mental health interventions as an addition to CCTs may be helpful. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/13864-6 - Mental disorders, substance use and executive functions in early adolescence in a birth cohort
• Grantee: Alicia Matijasevich Manitto
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants