[Socioeconomic variables, family milieu, and child mental health in an urban area of Salvador (Bahia), Brazil].

Seeking an association among SEVs, parent's mental health, early family milieu, and children's mental health through an epidemiological survey on a representative 545-child sample from low income squatter population of the city of Salvador was the author's hypothesis. QMPA and QMPI were used to assess the mental health status of parents and children, respectively. A specific questionnaire collected data on social-economic variables, and the HOME inventory was used to measure the quality of stimulation within home environment. For data analysis linear, and multiple regression techniques were resorted to, stratified by children's age and sex as well as parents' working position. In the multiple regression analysis, a strong, significant relationship was found between quality of family environment and indicators of child mental health, consistent throughout all strata analyzed--and even stronger among females involved. Results do not point out a direct influence of parents' mental health, except--in the second set of variables--through the influence of an early family environment.