CHILDHOOD DEPRESSION. Exploring the association between family violence and other psychosocial factors in low-income Brazilian schoolchildren

Abstract

BackgroundChildhood depression affects the morbidity, mortality and life functions of children. Individual, family and environmental factors have been documented as psychosocial risk factors for childhood depression, especially family violence, which results in inadequate support, low family cohesion and poor communication. This study investigates the association between psychosocial depression factors in low-income schoolchildren and reveals the potential trouble spots, highlighting several forms of violence that take place within the family context.MethodsThe study was based on a cross-sectional analysis of 464 schoolchildren aged between 6 and 10, selected by random sampling from a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Socio-economic, family and individual variables were investigated on the strength of the caregivers’ information and organized in blocks for analysis. A binary logistic regression model was applied, according to hierarchical blocks.ResultsThe final hierarchical regression analysis showed that the following variables are potential psychosocial factors associated with depression in childhood: average/poor relationship with the father (OR 3.24, 95% CI 1.32-7.94), high frequency of victimization by psychological violence (humiliation) (OR 6.13, 95% CI 2.06-18.31), parental divorce (OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.14-7.32) and externalizing behavior problems (OR 3.53 IC 1.51-8.23).ConclusionsThe results point to multiple determinants of depressive behavior in children, as well as the potential contribution of psychological family violence. The study also reveals potential key targets for early intervention, especially for children from highly vulnerable families.

Childhood Depression As Emerging Public Health Problem: A Systematic Review

“…According to the studies selected, it can be concluded that depression in childhood is not simply a mood regulation disorder; it also involves alterations in the physiology and in the cognitive and social functions of children, and requires comprehension of developmental integration processes at multiple levels of biological, psychological, and social complexity in individuals [8,277].…”

“…Individual factors include age, gender, psychological and physical vulnerability [8,22], comorbidity with other disorders [8,23], emotional disturbance, impaired sociability, low self-esteem and social skill difficulties [8,24,25], according to Table 2 [8,22].…”

“…Lastly, environmental factors include daily difficulties, stressful or traumatic life events [8,33,34], lack of social support and poor friendships [8,12,[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34].…”

“…The depression prevalence is estimated at 0.3% to 7.8% in children under that 13 years [5][6][7][8]. In Brazil, the depression prevalence in childhood is 0.2% and 7.5% to those under 14 years, which varies mainly in accord with the used evaluation method [8][9][10][11].…”

“…In Brazil, the depression prevalence in childhood is 0.2% and 7.5% to those under 14 years, which varies mainly in accord with the used evaluation method [8][9][10][11]. With that being said, the incidence of depression among children and adolescents is of great concern because of the acute and lasting consequences associated with depressive disorders [2].…”