Conditional cash transfers and adolescent mental health in Brazil: Evidence from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort

Effectiveness of targeted financial aid on disability welfare for the ageing population in China: A quasi-experiment study

Background

Addressing the problem of disabilities and disability deterioration is a key task for healthy ageing. Financial aid has been an effective measure for vulnerable groups, especially ageing people with disabilities. However, the effects of targeted financial aid on preventing disability deterioration remain unknown. The Chinese government launched a targeted financial aid programme aimed at people with disabilities. In this study, we investigated the causal effects of such targeted financial aid on disability deterioration prevention for elderly people with disabilities in China.

Methods

The data set used in this study included 36 640 elderly individuals with disabilities in China between 2016-19. We constructed a quasi-experiment approach and used a difference-in-differences (DID) method to examine the counterfactual differences between the treatment group in four cities that implemented such targeted financial aid in 2018 and the control group in three cities that did not adopt the policy over the study period. We employed propensity score matching (PSM) jointly with DID to mitigate selective bias. For sensitivity analysis, we conducted supplementary analyses on alternative samples, focusing on each of the treated cities respectively. Besides the main outcome, we also used fixed effect models to test the impact of such financial aid on rehabilitation access.

Results

The targeted financial aid significantly reduced the possibility of disability deterioration for elderly people with severe disabilities (0.26%; P < 0.001). Using PSM-DID models, the impact remained significant (0.33%; P < 0.001). Moreover, financial aid was significantly related to their access to rehabilitation services (12.71%; P < 0.001). Further analysis showed the heterogenous effects of targeted financial aid across individual demographic and socioeconomic factors, as well as communities with and without rehabilitation facilities.

Conclusions

Targeted financial aid had a positive impact on preventing disability deterioration among elderly individuals aged ≥65 years with severe disabilities. Moreover, rehabilitation care had a potential mediating role in the relationship between targeted financial aid and disability deterioration prevention. This study highlights the effectiveness of targeted financial aid in preventing disability deterioration and improving rehabilitation care for people with disabilities.

Time trends in anxiety disorders incidence across the BRICS: an age-period-cohort analysis for the GBD 2021

Background

Anxiety disorders are a significant global mental health concern, contributing to substantial disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and imposing considerable social and economic burdens. Understanding the epidemiology of anxiety disorders within the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa) is essential due to their unique socio-economic landscapes and ongoing transformations.

Methods

This study utilized data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database to evaluate anxiety disorder incidence trends in BRICS countries from 1992 to 2021. The Age-Period-Cohort (APC) model with an intrinsic estimator (IE) algorithm was employed to disentangle the effects of age, period, and cohort on incidence rates. Data were categorized into 5-year age groups, and 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated to account for data variability.

Results

From 1992 to 2021, the global number of anxiety disorders cases increased by 73.44%, with age-standardized incidence rates rising by 21.17%. Among BRICS nations, India experienced the largest increase in cases (113.30%), while China had the smallest increase (2.79%). Globally, young (15-49 years) and oldest (80-94 years) age groups showed predominantly positive local drift values, indicating rising incidence rates. Brazil and India mirrored this trend, while China and South Africa mostly exhibited negative local drift values. Russia Federation had mixed trends with younger groups showing negative and older groups positive local drift values. The incidence of anxiety disorders exhibited an "M-shaped" age pattern with peaks at 10-14 and 35-39 years. Period effects were stable globally but varied in BRICS countries, with Brazil showing a decline and India an increase. Cohort effects were stable globally but showed increasing trends in Brazil and India post-1955-1959 cohort.

Conclusion

This study highlights a significant increase in anxiety disorders incidence globally and within BRICS nations over the past three decades, with marked variations across countries. The distinct trends observed in age, period, and cohort effects call for age-specific and gender-sensitive mental health policies. Continuous monitoring, research, and tailored public health strategies are essential to address the rising burden of anxiety disorders and improve mental health outcomes in these rapidly evolving regions.

Implications of Cash Transfer Programs for Mental Health Promotion among Families Facing Significant Stressors: Using Ecological Systems Theory to Explain Successes of Conditional and Unconditional Programs

The purpose of this paper is to apply Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory to explore the literature on how Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) and Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) programs might support positive mental health outcomes. The paper begins with transnational considerations of stress, such as poverty and COVID-19, and their impact on mental health. Bronfenbrenner's theory is applied to better understand the mechanisms by which CCT and UCT programs can potentially lead to positive outcomes for children and families who face such stressors. The implications of cash transfer programs are subsequently discussed in terms of how they might promote positive mental health outcomes among families globally. This theoretical application paper concludes with a call for transnational research to explore connections between cash transfer programs and mental health outcomes for children/adolescents and their parents/caregivers.

Current and Future Approaches to Pediatric Anxiety Disorder Treatment

This overview critically appraises the literature on the treatment of pediatric anxiety disorders. The two established treatments for these conditions comprise cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and antidepressant medications. Many youths receiving these treatments fail to achieve remission, which creates a need for new treatments. After summarizing the literature on CBT and currently available medications, the authors describe research that lays a foundation for improvements in the treatment of pediatric anxiety disorders. This foundation leverages neuroscientific investigations, also described in the overview, which provide insights on mechanisms of successful treatment.

Potential mechanisms by which cash transfer programmes could improve the mental health and life chances of young people: A conceptual framework and lines of enquiry for research and policy

Mental health is inextricably linked to both poverty and future life chances such as education, skills, labour market attachment and social function. Poverty can lead to poorer mental health, which reduces opportunities and increases the risk of lifetime poverty. Cash transfer programmes are one of the most common strategies to reduce poverty and now reach substantial proportions of populations living in low- and middle-income countries. Because of their rapid expansion in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have recently gained even more importance. Recently, there have been suggestions that these cash transfers might improve youth mental health, disrupting the cycle of disadvantage at a critical period of life. Here, we present a conceptual framework describing potential mechanisms by which cash transfer programmes could improve the mental health and life chances of young people. Furthermore, we explore how theories from behavioural economics and cognitive psychology could be used to more specifically target these mechanisms and optimise the impact of cash transfers on youth mental health and life chances. Based on this, we identify several lines of enquiry and action for future research and policy.