68 - Socioemotional Development of Vulnerable Children from Puerto Rico in the Context of Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

Poster Number: 68
Publication Number: 68.202

Mary Rodríguez-Rabassa, Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine, Coamo, Puerto Rico, United States; Nicole E. Ruiz-Raíces, Ponce Health Sciences University, Hatillo, Puerto Rico, United States; Viviana Rosario-Villafañe, Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine, Caguas, Puerto Rico, United States; Marilyn Borges-Rodriguez, Ponce Health Science University, Coamo, Puerto Rico, United States; Irelis C. Repollet-Carrer, Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine, Ciales, N/A, Puerto Rico; Luisa I. Alvarado-Domenech, Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine, Ponce, Puerto Rico, United States

Background: A healthy socioemotional development is essential for children to cope with emotions, build relationships, make social connections, and develop problem-solving skills to succeed in school. The social context in which a child is raised can determine their mental health development and wellness.

Objective: This study aimed to examine associations between a child’s socioemotional development and neighborhood perception in mothers with history of Zika virus infection during pregnancy enrolled in the Pediatric Outcomes of Prenatal Zika Exposure (POPZE) study. POPZE aims to describe the spectrum of disease of prenatal Zika exposure during the critical developmental period of early childhood.

Design/Methods: This cross-sectional study included 56 mothers who answered the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE-2) and the Perceived Neighborhood Scale (PNS) in children’s 36- or 48-month age follow-up visit. Sociodemographic characteristics were recorded. Participants’ household location was used to obtain the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) through the Neighborhood Atlas webpage (rank = 1 to 10; least to most disadvantaged area). Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between responses in the ASQ:SE-2 (no-risk/at-risk) and the PNS- Sense of Community scales (SC) (using Percentile 50 as a cut-off to categorize as low or high).

Results: Fifty-eight percent of the mothers have an education of high school, technical certification or less. A 70.9% of households had an income of < $15,000, and 90.7% receive at least one government aid. Twenty-one percent of the children were at-risk of socioemotional development difficulties, and 83.9% of mothers reported high SC. The median of the ADI (7) indicates that most of these vulnerable families live in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Results suggest that children whose mothers perceive higher levels of SC are 87% less likely (OR: 0.13, 95%CI 0.03-0.70) to be at-risk for socioemotional development difficulties compared to those children of mothers with lower SC levels, adjusting for maternal education, age, and household income.Conclusion(s): In spite of growing up in a disadvantaged neighborhood, the sense of belonging, trust, and cohesion with the community appears to be a protective factor for children’s socioemotional development. Pediatric health providers and policy makers should conceptualize the socioemotional health of children within the context of their neighborhoods where a family sense of belonging could exert a developmental support role.