Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41424054›Full record

ArticleDevelopmental science2026

Urbanization and Child Development: Investigating Socioeconomic, Structural, and Environmental Influences on Cognitive Development.

Umay Sen, Wangchuk, Nidup Dorji, Pär Nyström, Johanna Hellberg, Gustaf Gredebäck

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Developmental science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Umay SenDepartment of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9488-0851
WangchukKhesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan, Thimphu, Bhutan.
Nidup DorjiKhesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan, Thimphu, Bhutan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6243-0020
Pär NyströmDepartment of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Johanna HellbergDepartment of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Gustaf GredebäckDepartment of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Funding

Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study examines the links between urbanization-related factors (crowding, access to institutions, and socioeconomic status) and cognitive development in young children (3-5 years old) in Bhutan, a rapidly urbanizing country in the Global South. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) on data from 443 families, we find that SES is the strongest predictor of cognitive development, while crowding and institutional access had minimal effects. Higher parental education and income correlate with better cognitive skills, emphasizing SES's crucial role in child development. These findings challenge the assumption that urbanization inherently benefits children by improving access to services, highlighting the persistent impact of economic disparities. This study underscores the need for policies supporting low-income families to mitigate urbanization's negative effects and suggests that these challenges stem largely from poverty, aligning with broader research on socioeconomic factors related to child development.

Indexed as

Child DevelopmentCognitionUrbanizationChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansMalePovertySocial ClassSocioeconomic Factorschild developmentcognitionhospitalsruralschoolsSESurban

Identifiers

PMID41424054
PMCPMC12719931

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.