The influence of cash transfer programme on mental health and school performance among young people exposed to violence in Brazil

Introduction: Mental health problems-MHP are a leading cause of disability in children/adolescents worldwide and are linked to poverty and violence, leading to restrictions in income, educational achievement and access to the labour market in a vicious cycle with long-lasting effects.

Effective interventions during childhood/adolescence can reduce the impact of poverty and/or prevent MHP, increasing future life-chances.

Objective: to examine the impact of a Bolsa Família Cash Transfers Program-BFCTP on mental health and school performance among children/adolescents from a deprived city in Brazil, considering their exposure to violence and stressful life events.

Method: secondary data from a cohort study with two waves of data collection (mean interval: 12.9 months), comprising a probabilistic community‐based sample of young people (6-15-years-old) from Itaboraí, Rio de Janeiro-Brazil (N = 1,189).

Measurements: In the original study, mothers answered questionnaires to assess the children/adolescents’: 1. age, sex; 2.

MHP (total scale with impact supplement of Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire), self-harm/suicidal ideation and/or suicide attempts (two items - Child Behavior Checklist); 3.

Exposure to violence at home (WorldSAFE questionnaire), at school (threat/maltreatment/being chase by peers), in the community (Survey of Exposure to Community Violence), and stressful life events (UCLA Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index); 4. Adverse educational outcomes: dropout/school failure.

Familial exposure to BFCTP, maternal education, maternal mental health (Self-Report questionnaire) were collected. Outcomes: children/adolescent’s MHP; self-harm/suicidality and adverse educational outcomes (at follow-up). Children/adolescent’s mental health profile at baseline, as a control variable.

Predictor: familial exposure to BFCTP for at least 12 months. Mediators: children/adolescents’ exposure to violence (home/school/community), stressful life events. Covariates: children/adolescents’ age, sex; maternal schooling and mental health.

Statistical models: (1) bivariate analyses to investigate the relationship between the three outcomes, and children/adolescents’ age, sex, exposure to BFCTP (predictor), and all mediators/covariates. (2) collinearity tests among the three types of violence and stressful life events to check for independence. (3) three multivariate logistic regressions adding the predictors, four predictors, four co-variates, and children/adolescent’s mental health profile at baseline (control variable). (4) to explore the potential role of exposure to violence/stressful life events as mediators between exposure to BFCTP at baseline and mental health at follow-up. (5) interactions between the BFCTP and all co-variates will be tested.