Trauma exposure among young children in rural Pakistan: Associations with gender, mental health, and cognitive skills.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The burden of childhood trauma (violence, injury/illness, loss) in low-resource settings is high, although the effect of trauma on children's mental and cognitive health is under-researched. Child gender may moderate the association between trauma and outcomes; boys are more likely to experience trauma, but girls are more likely to show distress following trauma.

Methods

We draw on data from the Bachpan cohort (n = 888), a sample of mother-child dyads in rural Pakistan, to investigate these associations among 6-year-old children in a South Asian, low-resource setting. Mothers reported on children's lifetime exposure to 15 possible traumas and their current mental health. In addition, children were assessed for their verbal skills, working memory, and inhibitory co

SUBMITTER: Frost A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11346172 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature