Effects of Maternal Psychopathology and Education Level on Neurocognitive Development in Infants of Adolescent Mothers Living in Poverty in Brazil.

Background: Adolescent motherhood remains common in developing countries and is associated with risk factors that adversely impact infant neurodevelopment, including poverty, low maternal education, and increased maternal psychopathology. Yet, no published work has assessed how these factors affect early brain development in developing countries.

Methods: This pilot study examined effects of maternal psychopathology and education on early neurocognitive development in a sample of adolescent mothers (N = 50, final n = 31) and their infants living in poverty in São Paulo, Brazil.

Community-Based Global Health Program for Maltreated Children and Adolescents in Brazil: The Equilibrium Program.

The maltreatment of children and adolescents is a global public health problem that affects high- and low-middle income countries ("LMICs"). In the United States, around 1.2 million children suffer from abuse, while in LMICs, such as Brazil, these rates are much higher (an estimated 28 million children).

Global mental health reforms: Challenges in developing a community-based program for maltreated children and adolescents in Brazil.

This column describes the planning and development of The Equilibrium Program (TEP) for multiply traumatized and neglected children and adolescents with mental and general medical problems in São Paulo, Brazil. The program is a partnership between university faculty, various service providers, the courts, and the city government. In the first step, child psychiatry faculty from the University of São Paulo visited central-city areas and group shelters to talk to street youths to better understand their needs.