Recent findings indicate robust associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and brain structure in children, raising questions about the ways in which SES may modify structural brain development. In general, cortical thickness and surface area develop in nonlinear patterns across childhood and adolescence, with developmental patterns varying to some degree by cortical region. Here, we examined whether age-related nonlinear changes in cortical thickness and surface area varied by SES, as indexed by family income and parental education. We hypothesized that SES disparities in age-related change may be particularly evident for language- and literacy-supporting cortical regions. Participants were 1148 typically-developing individuals between 3 and 20 years of age. Results indicated that SES factors moderate patterns of age-associated change in cortical thickness but not surface area. Specifically, at lower levels of SES, associations between age and cortical thickness were curvilinear, with relatively steep age-related decreases in cortical thickness earlier in childhood, and subsequent leveling off during adolescence. In contrast, at high levels of SES, associations between age and cortical thickness were linear, with consistent reductions across the age range studied. Notably, this interaction was prominent in the left fusiform gyrus, a region that is critical for reading development. In a similar pattern, SES factors significantly moderated linear age-related change in left superior temporal gyrus, such that higher SES was linked with steeper age-related decreases in cortical thickness in this region. These findings suggest that SES may moderate patterns of age-related cortical thinning, especially in language- and literacy-supporting cortical regions.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of family socioeconomic status (SES) and parental education on non-verbal IQ and on the processing of oral and written language, working memory, verbal memory and executive functions in children from different age ranges. A total of 419 Brazilian children aged 6-12 years old, attending public and private schools from Porto Alegre, RS participated in the study. Structural equation analyzes revealed that in the general model (for all ages), the SES contributed to cognitive performance -IQ, verbal memory, working memory, oral and written language and executive functions (28, 19, 36, 28 and 25 %, respectively). SES had stronger effects on younger children (up to nine years old), in most cognitive tasks examined. Probably, after this age, a combination of factors such as schooling, living in other social environments, among others, may mitigate the effects of family socioeconomic status.

Studies have reported associations between cortical thickness (CT) and socioeconomic status (SES), as well as between CT and cognitive outcomes. However, findings have been mixed as to whether CT explains links between SES and cognitive performance. In the current study, we hypothesized that this inconsistency may have arisen from the fact that socioeconomic factors (family income and parental education) may moderate the relation between CT and neurocognitive skills. Results indicated that associations between CT and cognitive performance did vary by SES for both language and executive function (EF) abilities. Across all ages, there was a negative correlation between CT and cognitive skills, with thinner cortices associated with higher language and EF scores. Similarly, across all cognitive skills, children from higher-SES homes outperformed their age-matched peers from lower-SES homes. Moderation analyses indicated that the impact of SES was not constant across CT, with SES more strongly predictive of EF skills among children with thicker cortices and more strongly predictive of language skills among children with thinner cortices. This suggests that socioeconomic advantage may in some cases buffer against a neurobiological risk factor for poor performance. These findings suggest that links between brain structure and cognitive processes vary by family socioeconomic circumstance.

Introduction: Childhood adversity is robustly associated with poor health across the life course. However, very few studies have examined the prevalence and implications of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in low-and middle-income countries. The objective of this study is to measure ACEs among adolescents in Malawi and examine the association with mental and physical health outcomes. Methods:From 2017 to 2018, baseline data were collected among adolescents aged 10-16 years (N=2,089). Respondents were interviewed in their local language at their homes. Respondents completed questions on childhood adversity (ACE-International Questionnaire), self-rated health, mortality expectations, and mental health (Beck Depression Inventory and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Scale). Stunting, obesity, and grip strength were measured. Analyses were conducted in 2018. Frequencies described the prevalence of ACEs and adjusted multivariate models examined whether cumulative adversity predicts current health.Results: Adolescents reported a high burden of adversity (i.e., five lifetime ACEs on average). Adolescents who scored in the top ACEs quintile were more likely to report depression (OR=3.11, 95% CI=2.10, 4.60), post-traumatic stress disorder (OR=4.19, 95% CI=2.43, 7.23), worse selfrated health (OR=3.72, 95% CI=2.03, 6.81), and a higher expected likelihood of dying in the next 5 years (RR=5.02, 95% CI=2.15, 7.88) compared with those in the bottom quintile. However, ACEs did not demonstrate a graded relationship with obesity, stunting, or grip strength.

Este estudo longitudinal investigou a contribuição de fatores psicossociais para o desempenho em leitura de crianças. Participaram 59 mães e seus filhos aos 4 meses, 2, 5-6 e 9-11 anos. Correlacionou-se o desempenho em leitura das crianças a variáveis psicossociais. Encontrou-se correlações negativas entre morbidade psiquiátrica materna na primeira infância e leitura de palavras irregulares e entre o número de familiares que residiam com a criança aos 2 e 5-6 anos e o desempenho na leitura de palavras. A renda familiar aos 2 anos correlacionou-se positivamente com compreensão textual. Entretanto, apenas o número de familiares que residiam com a criança foi preditor do desempenho em leitura de palavras. Conclui-se que o desempenho em leitura relaciona-se a fatores psicossociais.

RESUMOO objetivo desta pesquisa foi investigar possíveis correlatos da adaptação à universidade em estudantes universitários. Cinco dimensões de adaptação (carreira, pessoal, interpessoal, estudo e institucional) foram correlacionadas com as seguintes variáveis: nível de participação em atividades extracurriculares, apoio familiar percebido em relação à escolha profissional realizada, apoio familiar emocional percebido, nível de interação extra-classe com professores, nível de comportamento exploratório vocacional e ano do curso. Participaram do estudo 342 estudantes de três cursos diferentes, com média de idade de 21,2 anos. A adaptação à universidade foi avaliada através do Questionário de Vivências Acadêmicas -Revisado e as demais variáveis através de instrumentos específicos. Entre os resultados principais, verificou-se que as variáveis exploração de si e nível de interação extra-classe com professores foram as que mais se correlacionaram com todos os cinco indicadores de adaptação, enquanto a exploração do ambiente apresentou correlações mais baixas (e não se correlacionou com a dimensão estudo). O apoio familiar emocional percebido apresentou uma relação fraca, mas significativa, com a dimensão interpessoal da adaptação. Os resultados são discutidos à luz da literatura sobre o tema. Palavras-chave: adaptação à universidade; vivências acadêmicas; universitários. ABSTRACT Adjustment to University among University Students: A Correlational StudyThe purpose of this study was to investigate possible correlates of adjustment to University among University students. Five dimensions of adaptation (career, personal, interpersonal, study, and institutional) were correlated with the following variables: level of participation on extracurricular activities, perceived familial support concerning professional choice, perceived emotional support by parents, level of interaction with faculty members in out-of-classroom contexts, level of vocational exploratory behavior and course level. The participants in the study included 342 students from three different courses, with a mean age of 21,2 years. Adjustment to university was assessed with the Questionário de Vivências Acadêmicas -Revisado (Academic Experiences Questionnaire -Revised), and the other variables were evaluated with specific instruments. Among the main findings, selfexploration and out-of-classroom interaction with faculty members were the variables with the most significant associations with all five dimensions of adaptation to university, while environmental exploration showed weaker correlations (and did not correlate with the study dimension). Perceived emotional support by parents showed a weak, but significant, relationship with the interpersonal dimension of adaptation. Results are discussed considering the literature on the subject.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have lifelong adverse impacts on health and behavior. While this relationship has been extensively documented in high-income countries, evidence from lower-income contexts is largely missing. In order to stimulate greater research on the prevalence and consequences of ACEs in low-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the ACE-International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ).Objective: In this paper, we explore the factor structure, validity and reliability of the original ACE-IQ, and evaluate whether potential adaptations improve its predictive validity.Participants and setting: Four hundred and ten adolescents (age 10-16 years old) from Malawi. Methods: The adolescents answered an adapted version of ACE-IQ and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).Results: Taken together, our results suggest that (a) the ACE-IQ is structured in three dimensions: household disruption, abuse, and neglect; (b) there is support for the validity of the scale evidenced by the correlation between subdimensions (average across 13 correlations, phi = . 20, p<0,01; across subdomains (phi = .10, p<0,01); partial agreement among children with the same caregiver (ICC = .43, p < .001) and correlation between ACE and depression (predictive validity; r = .35, p < .001); (c) information on the timing of the adversities ("last year" in addition to "ever") modestly improved the predictive value of the ACE-IQ in models of depression (from R 2 = .12 to .15, p < .001); and (d) additional HIV-related questions showed low endorsement and a modest correlation with BDI (r=.25 p<0,01).

RESUMO O instrumento de avaliação de leitura de palavras/pseudopalavras isoladas (LPI), de fácil aplicação e baixo custo, avalia a habilidade de leitura oral (reconhecimento de palavras/ pseudopalavras). São estímulos criteriosamente selecionados conforme regularidade, extensão, frequência e lexicalidade, permitindo avaliar a funcionalidade das rotas de leitura (modelos de dupla-rota). Este estudo apresenta a construção das normas de desempenho (escores totais, em palavras regulares, irregulares e pseudopalavras) para crianças do 1º ano a 7º ano do ensino fundamental, divididas por anos completos de escolarização, idade e tipo de escola. Os resultados mostraram que as crianças de séries e idades mais avançadas apresentaram melhor desempenho em LPI do que as de séries iniciais e mais novas. Os estudantes de escolas privadas tiveram melhor desempenho do que os de escolas públicas. O instrumento pode ser utilizado por diversos profissionais, para complementar a avaliação e subsídio para diagnósticos, planejamento de aulas, encaminhamentos e intervenções.