Prevention of Aggression, Violence, and Mental Health Problems in Childhood and Adolescence: Innovative and Sustainable Approaches from Around the World: Introduction and Overview.

This special issue, Prevention of Aggression, Violence, and Mental Health Problems in Childhood and Adolescence: Innovative and Sustainable Approaches from Around the World, represents a broad set of studies from lower- and middle-income countries. The intent of the special issue was to expand our knowledge of evidence-based programs in less-resourced settings, given that most of the current evidence comes from the USA and other higher-income countries. Many of the articles describe adaptations of evidence-based programs developed in higher-income countries, and their findings suggest that this can be an effective approach. Other studies present evidence for context-specific programs that match cultural norms, are efficient and cost-effective to implement, and are aligned with infrastructure and available resources. We also include articles that provide evidence for the preventive effects of everyday activities such as orchestra participation and after-school programs. Our hope is that the studies reported in this special issue will provide useful guidance for policy makers, funders, and key leaders looking for innovative, affordable, and sustainable solutions to preventing violence in childhood and adolescence and promoting mental health and adjustment around the world.

The Effects of Musical Training on Child Development: a Randomized Trial of El Sistema in Venezuela.

Many studies have explored the links between music and children's outcomes; however, study designs have not been sufficiently rigorous to support causal findings. This study aims to assess the effects of a large-scale music program on children's developmental functioning in the context of high rates of exposure to violence. The paper describes the results of an experimental evaluation of Venezuela's National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras. The curriculum of the program, better known as "El Sistema," emphasizes social interactions through group instruction and group performances. The randomized control trial was conducted in 16 music centers between May 2012 and November 2013. In total, 2914 children ages 6-14 participated in the experiment, with approximately half receiving an offer of admission to the program in September 2012 and half in September 2013. The treatment group children participated for one semester more than the control group children. After 1 year, full-sample ITT estimates indicate improved self-control (by 0.10 standard deviations) and reduced behavioral difficulties (by 0.08 standard deviations), both significant at 10% after controlling for multiple hypothesis testing. There were no full-sample effects on other domains. Sub-sample effects are larger among (1) children with less-educated mothers and (2) boys, especially those exposed to violence at baseline. In the latter subgroup, we find lower levels of aggressive behavior. We find that the program improved self-control and reduced behavioral difficulties, with the effects concentrated among subgroups of vulnerable children. The results suggest the importance of devising mechanisms to target resources to the most vulnerable children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02369315.

Prevalence and correlates of disability in Latin America and the Caribbean: Evidence from 8 national censuses.

We estimate disability prevalence rates and gaps in social conditions in eight Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries and project current and future disability prevalence rates in the region. Using data from representative samples of the population in eight countries, we find that reported disability prevalence varies widely across countries, ranging between 4.5 percent in Trinidad and Tobago (2011) to 24.9 percent in Brazil (2010). Differences in surveying approaches and demographic structures likely explain a part of this variation. We find marked sociodemographic gradients for disability. We also report significant disability gaps: people living with disabilities have lower educational attendance and completion rates and lower employment rates. We use age and sex-specific disability rates from our sample of countries and information on the current and future demographic structures in LAC countries to project disability prevalence for the whole region. We project that the total number of people with disabilities in this region will increase by approximately 60 million between 2020 and 2050. Our projections suggest that countries need to systematically plan and implement inclusion policies to adequately address the growing population of people with disabilities in the years to come.

Analysis of socioeconomic gradients in the development of children aged 0-3 years in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the socioeconomic gradients in the measures of development and well-being of children under three years of age in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil. METHODS: We compiled information using a socioeconomic survey instrument, collecting anthropometric measurements, observing the home environment, and applying the Denver Test II to 2,755 children aged between zero and 28 months who are potential beneficiaries of the Cresça com Seu Filho program in Fortaleza. These children were randomly selected from a universe identified from the administrative record of the Cadastro Único of the Ministry of Social Development of Brazil. For the analysis, we reported descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and mean differences. RESULTS: Rates of chronic malnutrition and overweight were 7.0%. The results of the Denver II test indicated that personal social (23%) and language (20%) are the domains in which children have the highest developmental delay, when compared with the international reference sample. Parental practices measured by two sub-scales of the Home Observation of the Environment Inventory were poor, with only 14.0% of families having two or more books in the home and 35.0% of the households reporting having spanked their child in the past three days. CONCLUSIONS: We identified clear socioeconomic gradients in the anthropometric indicators, parenting practices, and the Denver Test II (especially in the language domain). Children from poorer households, as well as children of mothers with lower education levels, perform poorly on most measures.

Effects of Economic Shocks on Children's Employment and Schooling in Brazil.

This paper uses longitudinal employment survey data to analyze the impact of household economic shocks on the schooling and employment transitions of young people in metropolitan Brazil. The paper uses data on over 100,000 children ages 10-16 from Brazil's Monthly Employment Survey (PME) from 1982 to 1999. Taking advantage of the rotating panels in the PME, we compare households in which the male household head becomes unemployed during a four-month period with households in which the head is continuously employed. Probit regressions indicate that an unemployment shock significantly increases the probability that a child enters the labor force, drops out of school, and fails to advance in school. The effects can be large, implying increases of as much as 50% in the probability of entering employment for 16-year-old girls. In contrast, shocks occurring after the school year do not have significant effects, suggesting that these results are not due to unobserved characteristics of households that experience unemployment shocks. The results suggest that some households are not able to absorb short-run economic shocks, with negative consequences for children.

Analysis of socioeconomic gradients in the development of children aged 0-3 years in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil / Análisis de los gradientes socioeconómicos en el desarrollo de los niños de 0-3 años en Fortaleza, Noreste de Brasil

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To identify the socioeconomic gradients in the measures of development and well-being of children under three years of age in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil. METHODS We compiled information using a socioeconomic survey instrument, collecting anthropometric measurements, observing the home environment, and applying the Denver Test II to 2,755 children aged between zero and 28 months who are potential beneficiaries of the Cresça com Seu Filho program in Fortaleza. These children were randomly selected from a universe identified from the administrative record of the Cadastro Único of the Ministry of Social Development of Brazil. For the analysis, we reported descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and mean differences. RESULTS Rates of chronic malnutrition and overweight were 7.0%. The results of the Denver II test indicated that personal social (23%) and language (20%) are the domains in which children have the highest developmental delay, when compared with the international reference sample. Parental practices measured by two sub-scales of the Home Observation of the Environment Inventory were poor, with only 14.0% of families having two or more books in the home and 35.0% of the households reporting having spanked their child in the past three days. CONCLUSIONS We identified clear socioeconomic gradients in the anthropometric indicators, parenting practices, and the Denver Test II (especially in the language domain). Children from poorer households, as well as children of mothers with lower education levels, perform poorly on most measures.

RESUMEN OBJETIVO Identificar los gradientes socioeconómicos en medidas del desarrollo y bienestar en menores de tres años en Fortaleza, Nordeste de Brasil. MÉTODOS Se recolectó información a través de una encuesta socioeconómica, toma de medidas antropométricas, observación del ambiente en el hogar y aplicación del Test de Denver II de 2.755 niños de cero a 28 meses potenciales beneficiarios del programa Cresça com Seu Filho en Fortaleza. Estos niños fueron seleccionados aleatoriamente de un universo identificado a partir del registro administrativo del Catastro Único del Ministerio de Desarrollo Social de Brasil. Para el análisis se reportan estadísticas descriptivas, correlaciones de Pearson y diferencias de medias. RESULTADOS Las tasas de desnutrición crónica y el sobrepeso fueron iguales a 7,0%. Los resultados del Test de Denver II indicaron que las áreas en las que los niños presentan un mayor rezago en su desarrollo, cuando se compararon con la muestra de referencia internacional fueron personal-social (23,0%) y lenguaje (20,0%). Las prácticas parentales medidas por dos sub-escalas del Hom e Observation of the Enviroment fueron pobres, solo el 14,0% de las familias reportaron tener dos o más libros en el hogar y 35,0% de los hogares reportaron haberle pegado a su hijo en los últimos tres días. CONCLUSIONES Se identifican gradientes socioeconómicos claros en los indicadores antropométricos, las pautas de crianza y en la prueba Denver II (especialmente en el dominio de lenguaje). Los niños pertenecientes a los hogares más pobres, así como hijos de madres con menor nivel educativo, presentan un desempeño bajo en la mayoría de las medidas.

Intermittent child employment and its implications for estimates of child labour.

Using longitudinal data from urban Brazil, the authors track the employment patterns of thousands of children aged 10-16 during four months of their lives in the 1980s and 1990s. The proportion of children who work at some point during a four-month period is substantially higher than the fraction observed working in any single month. The authors calculate an intermittency multiplier to summarize the difference between employment rates in one reference week vs. four reference weeks over a four-month period. They conclude that intermittent employment is a crucial characteristic of child labour which must be recognized to capture levels of child employment adequately and identify child workers.