The Influence of Childhood Conditions on the Whole Life

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2019) | Viewed by 15680

Special Issue Editor

Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Interests: inequalities; childhood adversity; resilience; birth cohorts; longitudinal data analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The past three decades have seen an exponential growth in life-course studies, not least in the fields of sociology, epidemiology, and psychology. Some argue that life-course research is now in the midst of a golden age, with its long history of classic longitudinal studies, the growing number of exceptional data resources, as well as advances in statistical techniques and theoretical developments. A theme that comes across as particularly important for the future of life-course research, is the focus on mechanisms. In traditional life-course studies, mechanisms may refer to the pathways that link early life and adolescent experiences to later outcomes. There have been many recent methodological attempts to reach a more solid understanding of processes of mediation and interaction across the life course. Yet, this remains a field of inquiry in need of more exploration. This Special Issue will address the most recent scientific findings regarding mechanisms linking childhood conditions to outcome across the whole life.

Assoc. Prof. Ylva B Almquist
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Cohort studies
  • Childhood living conditions
  • Long-term influences
  • Intergenerational transmission
  • Life-course
  • Social relationships
  • Mechanisms
  • Mediation analysis
  • Interaction analysis

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 244 KiB  
Article
Peer Status Position within School-Based Hierarchies and Excessive Fat Accumulation in Adulthood—A 30 Year Follow up of a Stockholm Cohort
by Yerko Rojas and Ylva B. Almquist
Behav. Sci. 2019, 9(8), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs9080085 - 09 Aug 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3314
Abstract
Disadvantaged socioeconomic status is arguably the one exposure that has most consistently been linked to obesity, even more strongly so than diet and physical inactivity, which are the two main perceived root causes of weight gain. However, we still know very little about [...] Read more.
Disadvantaged socioeconomic status is arguably the one exposure that has most consistently been linked to obesity, even more strongly so than diet and physical inactivity, which are the two main perceived root causes of weight gain. However, we still know very little about the relationship between having a disadvantaged social position and excessive fat accumulation, particularly when it comes to whether the relationship in question can also be seen as a long-term one, i.e., spanning from childhood to adulthood. By making use of the unique Stockholm Birth Cohort Multigenerational Study, the present study uses generalized ordered logistic regressions to examine the association between sociometrically assessed peer status position in school at age 13 and excessive fat accumulation at age 32. The results suggest that the odds of having excessive fat accumulation are about 0.5 times lower among popular and accepted children (ORs = 0.52 and 0.56, respectively), compared to those with a marginalized peer status position, independent of other obesogenic risk factors measured both prior and subsequent to peer status position. Our results give support to the notion that improved weight status may be another positive consequence of policies aiming to increase social inclusion within schools. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Influence of Childhood Conditions on the Whole Life)
12 pages, 495 KiB  
Article
The Intergenerational Transmission of Early Childbearing: Examining Direct and Indirect Associations in a Swedish Birth Cohort
by Robin S. Högnäs and Alessandra Grotta
Behav. Sci. 2019, 9(5), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs9050054 - 16 May 2019
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3300
Abstract
Background. Research shows that early childbearing is associated negatively with educational attainment and socioeconomic status (SES). Children born to young versus older mothers often do less well in school, and many have early first births. Some studies suggest that mothers’ early childbearing [...] Read more.
Background. Research shows that early childbearing is associated negatively with educational attainment and socioeconomic status (SES). Children born to young versus older mothers often do less well in school, and many have early first births. Some studies suggest that mothers’ early childbearing operates through SES to influence the daughters’ early childbearing, and some argue that the association is strong net of SES. The current study tests these direct and indirect associations. Methods. We estimate the pathways through which mothers’ early childbearing influences daughters’ early childbearing in several steps. First, we examine bivariate associations between mothers’ early childbearing and SES, followed by bivariate associations between mothers’ SES outcomes and their daughters’ early childbearing. We then estimate the average marginal effects (AMEs) of mothers’ early children on daughters’, and a KHB decomposition to examine direct and indirect associations. Results. Findings suggest both direct and indirect associations. Nested models show that, net of a range of SES characteristics, mothers’ early childbearing increases the probability of daughters’ by approximately 8%; and KHB results suggest 37% mediation, with daughters’ school performance (12%) and household educational attainment (10%) contributing the highest shares. Conclusion. Mothers’ early childbearing and subsequent SES collectively influence the long-term wellbeing of children. Thus, early childbearing has consequences both within and across generations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Influence of Childhood Conditions on the Whole Life)
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15 pages, 267 KiB  
Article
Parental Education Attainment and Educational Upward Mobility; Role of Race and Gender
by Shervin Assari
Behav. Sci. 2018, 8(11), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs8110107 - 21 Nov 2018
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 8737
Abstract
Background. The Minorities’ Diminished Return theory suggests that education attainment and other socioeconomic resources have smaller effects on the health and well-being of African Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities compared to Whites. Racial and ethnic differences in the processes involved with [...] Read more.
Background. The Minorities’ Diminished Return theory suggests that education attainment and other socioeconomic resources have smaller effects on the health and well-being of African Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities compared to Whites. Racial and ethnic differences in the processes involved with educational upward mobility may contribute to the diminished returns of education attainment for African Americans compared to Whites. Aim: This study compared African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites for the effect of parental education attainment on educational upward mobility and explored gender differences in these effects. Methods. The National Survey of American Life (NSAL 2003) is a nationally representative survey of American adults. Participants included 891 non-Hispanic White and 3570 African American adults. Gender, race/ethnicity, age, highest parental education attainment, and respondents’ educational attainment were measured. Data were analyzed using linear regression models. Results. Overall, higher parental education attainment was associated with higher educational upward mobility (b = 0.34, p < 0.001), however, this boosting effect was significantly smaller for African Americans compared to Whites (b = −0.13, p = 0.003). Our further analysis showed that race by parental education attainment can be found for females (b = −0.14, p = 0.013) but not males (p > 0.05). Conclusion. African American females are at a disadvantage compared to White females regarding the effect of parental education attainment on their educational upward mobility, a phenomenon which could not be observed when comparing African American and White males. These results advocate for taking intersectionality frameworks to study the effects of race, gender, and class in the US. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Influence of Childhood Conditions on the Whole Life)
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