Cognitive development of children in vulnerable contexts: the role of psychosocial intervention

Psychosocial intervention programs are carried out in Latin American communities with socioeconomic disadvantage to improve their quality of life; few evaluations are carried out to measure their effectiveness. The study aimed to determine if intervention processes in vulnerable communities might favor the children's development. An analysis of variance was used to find the dependence between different intervention processes and the cognitive development of 97 children between 3 and 6 years old. No relationship was found between the type of intervention received by the communities and their infants’ global cognitive development. However, the children of the community intervened by multiple agents and services showed significant differences related to a better performance in dimensions such as language, rhythm, memory, and attention. It is necessary to ensure nutrition and guarantee quality education, early stimulation, spaces of relationship with peers, and a community aware of their co-responsibility in childcare to improve children's cognitive developmen