Is there an association between child work and cognitive ability? Evidence from Peru (original) (raw)

Background and Objectives: Child work is assumed to negatively affect children's health and development, particularly cognitive development. This paper explores the association between daily hours spent working by children aged 11-12 and their cognitive abilities at ages 11-12 and 14-15, using both inclusive and narrow definitions of child work. Methods: The main outcome variables include PPVT scores from two rounds of cognitive testing. Linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate the relationships between hours worked and cognitive scores, accounting for various covariates. Results: Crude analyses indicated a negative association between hours worked and cognitive ability; however, adjustments for socioeconomic factors rendered most associations non-significant, except for a slight negative correlation observed with 1-2 hours of economic work per day. Conclusions: The findings suggest that poverty primarily drives both child work and cognitive deficits, though some elements of economic work may still adversely affect cognitive scores.