Can cash transfers protect mental health? Evidence from an observational cohort of children and adolescents living in adverse contexts in Brazil.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Youth exposed to poverty and adversities like violence are at higher risk of mental health problems (MHP), but whether antipoverty interventions can reduce this risk remains unclear. We examined the association between participation in the Brazilian Cash Transfer Program (BFP) and mental health of children/adolescents exposed to different levels of adversity.

Methods

Observational study using nearest-neighbor propensity score matching to compare BFP participants and non-participants from the Itaboraí study, a community-based cohort of 1,189 children/adolescents (6-15 years) assessed at two waves (meaninterval: 12.9 months).Measures included the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) externalizing, internalizing, and total problems scales; an adversity score derived from

SUBMITTER: Paula CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12538174 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature