Violência doméstica, álcool e outras drogas como fatores ambientais para a suspeita de atraso no desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor de crianças acompanhadas pelo Programa Criança Feliz.

Abstract

To evaluate the relationship between exposure to domestic violence, alcohol, and other drugs in the family environment and child development among children monitored by the Happy Child Program. Method: cross-sectional, quantitative research conducted at the Social Assistance Reference Center of a municipality in Western Curimataú, Paraíba. The study sample consisted of 108 mothers and/or caregivers of children up to three years of age, registered with the municipality's PCF. Participants who met the inclusion criteria (being a mother and/or caregiver of a child in early childhood, in social vulnerability, registered with the PCF), non-inclusion criteria (mother and/or caregiver of a child who did not present the child's and pregnancy records on the day of data collection, or was outside the municipality at that time) and exclusion criteria (those who, despite meeting the inclusion and non-inclusion criteria, did not attend data collection after three attempts) took part in the study. For data collection, a questionnaire containing two parts was used: one with sociodemographic data and the other with the forms of the Survey of Well-being of Young Children – SWYC. The data were entered in double entry into the Statistical Package for Social Science for Windows (SPSS) software, version 22.0, and analyzed based on descriptive statistics of frequencies and inferential statistics, using Fisher's exact test. The research project of the referred study was approved by the Ethics Committee for Research with Human Beings of the Center for Education and Health of the Federal University of Campina Grande (CES/UFCG), under opinion no.: 4,487,671 and CAAE: 38730920.2.0000.5182. Results: the majority of the population was female (97.2%), mothers (88.8%), married or in a stable union (87.9%), beneficiaries of the PBF (86.1%), with 8 or more years of education (62.9%), without supplementary health insurance (75.0%) and with a family income of less than one minimum wage (79.6%). The prevalence of children exposed to domestic violence was 12.4% and to alcohol and other drugs was 9.9%. Of the 12 children exposed to domestic violence, seven (58.3%) were suspected of being delayed and, of the 11 exposed to alcohol and other drugs, seven (63.6%). Final considerations: it was possible to demonstrate that the odds ratio of having suspected developmental delay was 3.774 times in children exposed to domestic violence (OR>1:1.088 – 13.086) and 5.250 times in those exposed to alcohol and other drugs (OR>1:1.418 – 19.442). There is an association between violence and the consumption of alcohol and other drugs in the intrafamily environment (p 0.001) and an association between the two environmental factors and the suspicion of delay in neuropsychomotor development (p 0.043/ p 0.013). Thus, the study points to the need to use screening instruments in childcare consultations, to carry out continuing education and training with health professionals and health education with mothers and/or caregivers, aiming at healthy child neuropsychomotor development.