ALVAREZ-IGLESIAS, Alejandra et al. COVID-19 in Brazil: opportunity to integrate mental health in the Programa Bolsa Família. []. , 23, 3, pp.1-15. ISSN 1516-3687.  https://doi.org/10.5935/1980-6906/ePTPIC14853.

According to the World Health Organization, Brazil ranks third in COVID-19 cases and second in deaths globally. The most severely impacted by this shock are the approximately 10 million Brazilians that live in extreme poverty. This vulnerability is evident in youth, financially, and in their well-being and mental health. Like other cash transfer programmes globally, the Programa Bolsa Família (PBF) is currently being adapted to support individuals and families during the pandemic. The current environment offers a unique opportunity for PBF to focus on young people and tackle poverty from a broader perspective. The PBF can expand its scope to address the longer-term mental health impacts of economic crises and poverty, besides addressing urgent food security and survival needs. This approach could enhance youth's future life chances and break the vicious cycle between mental illness and poverty that spirals many young people into socioeconomic and mental health disadvantages.

: COVID-19; mental health; social protection; youth; Programa Bolsa Família.

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