Children with Developmental Disabilities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: More Neglected and Physically Punished.

Andrea Bizzego,Greta Schiavon,Gianluca Esposito,Mengyu Lim

doi:10.3390/ijerph17197009

Abstract

Little is known about parenting in the context of developmental disabilities in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), penalized by both lack of data and a research bias toward western societies. In this study, we apply data mining methods on a large (N = 25,048) dataset from UNICEF to highlight patterns of association between developmental disabilities of children and parental involvement. We focus on the co-presence of multiple disabilities and the quality of childcare in three parenting domains: discipline, caregiving, and education. Our results show that, in LMIC, children with more severe developmental conditions are also more likely to receive low-quality parental care. Specific policies of parental training are needed to improve parental practices in LMIC.

Highlights

Parenting is a common human experience and an intensely demanding one
We investigated the influence of each moderator: the Pearson’s χ2 test and computation of the ORSDD/Mild or No Disability (MND) was conducted on each category of the moderator to allow the observing of differences between the categories
Severe Developmental Disability (SDD) is generally significantly more prevalent among children (1) of caregivers with lower education levels, (2) living in poorest households and (3) residing in countries with lower Human Development Index (HDI); the latter two conditions are reflective of generally lower socio-economic statuses (SES) [56,57]

Summary

Introduction

Parenting is a common human experience and an intensely demanding one. In the UnitedStates alone, more than two million individuals become parents every year [1], spending an average of 3.86 h per day parenting young children aged under six [2]. Association to comprise cognitions and practices and parenting that fulfill three distinct goals: ensuring the health and safety of the child, preparing the child for life and its associated challenges, and transmitting cultural values [4]. To meet these goals of parenting, the parent engages in a variety of parenting practices, defined as concrete behavioral patterns with which the parent parents the child [5]. Higher quality parental caregiving practices are linked to better attachment security [7] and fewer instances of externalizing behavior [8] in young children, thereby improving the child’s emotional health and emotional regulation skills. Disciplinary practices chosen by parents have a significant impact on child outcomes in terms of the child’s eventual moral values [9,10] as well as internalizing and externalizing behaviors [11,12,13], which have an effect on the child’s long-term socialization skills and moral conscience

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion