Table 1 Family adversity indicator

Family socioeconomic status

Uses the economic classification criteria of the Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Pesquisa (ABEP). It estimates consumer capacity on the basis of indicators such as color television set, bathroom, automobile, monthly-paid maid, duplex refrigerator or freezer, and head of family’s schooling. Strata A, B and C correspond to the upper- and middle-income classes, and D and E to the lower-income classes.

Adopted child

Yes or not.

Number of siblings living in the same household

Yes (3 or more) or not.

Child witnessed physical and verbal violence between the parents/guardians

Gauged by the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS-PC) developed by Straus [29] and adapted to Portuguese by Hasselmann & Reichenheim [30]. It analyzes the following tactics used at moments of interparental conflict in the prior year: a) verbal aggression between the parents, assessed by acts such as swearing or insulting, sulking, crying, doing things to spite, smashed, hit or kicked things; b) physical violence, as in throwing something at the other person, pushing, slapping or spanking; and c) severe physical violence, identified as punching, kicking, hitting or trying to hit with objects, beating, and threatening to use or actually using a knife or gun. One affirmative item in each of the sub-scales means witnessing interparental violence.

Minor maternal psychiatric disorder

Evaluated by the Self-Reported Questionnaire (SRQ20) [31], which measures for the existence of psychic suffering, such as symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychosomatic conditions including headaches, insomnia and so on. Validated in Brazil by Mari & Williams [32], the scale consists of 20 dichotomous questions, with 7 or more items present indicating psychic suffering.