Is family social exclusion associated with child motor and socioemotional development delay? A cross-sectional exploratory study.

AIM: The objective was to identify if family social exclusion is associated with child motor and social development delay in Southeastern Brazil. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from a sample of 348 children under 3 years, proportional to the number of children registered in the primary care centres of the municipality. METHODS: Child development was measured using the "Developmental Surveillance Instrument" which was developed by the Ministry of Health in Brazil and is used for public health nurses and clinicians in their practice. An index was used to evaluate social exclusion. RESULTS: The prevalence of child motor and socioemotional developmental delay was 27.6% and 17.2%, respectively. Children in the most social excluded group were more likely to have delayed motor development (OR = 3.4; 95% CI = 1.14; 10.55) and socioemotional developmental delay (OR = 3.9; 95% CI = 1.05; 9.02) than children in the least social excluded group.

Association of Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence With Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Early Childhood Socioemotional Development Among Mothers and Children in Rural Tanzania.

Importance: Approximately 1 in 4 women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) or nonpartner sexual violence during their lifetime. Mothers exposed to IPV are more likely to experience depressive symptoms and to discipline their children harshly, which may affect their children's socioemotional development; however, there is limited evidence on these outcomes. Objective: To examine the association between IPV, maternal depressive symptoms, harsh child discipline, and child stimulation with child socioemotional development. Design, Setting, and Participants: This study used cross-sectional follow-up data collected from February 19 to October 10, 2014, from a birth cohort of children aged 18 to 36 months who were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of neonatal vitamin A supplementation in the Morogoro region of Tanzania. Data analysis occurred between September 10, 2019, and January 20, 2020. Exposures: Lifetime experience of IPV was assessed using an abbreviated module of the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey, maternal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire, and data on harsh child discipline and maternal stimulation of their children were collected using modules of the United Nations Children's Fund Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. Main Outcomes and Measures: Child socioemotional development was measured by the Caregiver-Reported Early Childhood Development Instruments. Results: A total of 981 mother-child dyads were included in the analytic sample; 388 children (39.6%) were between ages 18 and 24 (mean [SD] age, 27.06 [6.08]) months, and 515 (52.5%) were male children. A negative association was observed between maternal report of physical IPV only (mean difference, -0.022; 95% CI, -0.045 to -0.006) and physical and sexual IPV (mean difference, -0.045; 95% CI, -0.077 to -0.013) with child socioemotional scores, but neither was statistically significant after including depressive symptoms in the model, which is consistent with mediation. Furthermore, a negative association was observed between maternal mild to severe depressive symptoms and child socioemotional development, including adjustment for IPV (mean difference, -0.073; 95% CI, -0.103 to -0.043). Harsh disciplinary practices and stimulation were not associated with child socioemotional development after adjusting for IPV, maternal depressive symptoms, and other factors. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this study suggest that maternal depressive symptoms may explain the negative association between IPV and child socioemotional development.