Childhood adversity and common mental disorders in young employees in Sweden: is the association affected by early adulthood occupational class?

Abstract

Background Childhood adversities are associated with an elevated risk for common mental disorders (CMDs). Whether the strength of the association also holds for young employees is unclear. Given the increase in CMD rates in young adults over the past decade, identification of risk factors has important implications for future public health interventions. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of childhood adversities on CMDs. Additionally, the role of occupational class (non-manual/manual workers) in the relationship was examined. Methods This population-based longitudinal cohort study included 544,003 employees, 19–29 years, residing in Sweden in 2009. Adversities included parental death, parental mental and somatic disorders, parental separation or single-parent household, household public assistance and residential instability. Estimates of risk of CMDs, measured as prescription of antidepressants and/or psychiatric care with a clinical diagnosis of CMDs, between 2010 and 2016 were calculated as relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), using a modified Poisson regression analysis. Occupational class (non-manual/manual workers) was explored as a potential moderator. Results In both manual and non-manual workers, childhood adversities were associated with an elevated risk of subsequent CMDs. The risk was moderated by occupational class, i.e., especially pronounced risk was found in manual workers who had experienced cumulative adversity (adjusted RR 1.76, 95% CI 1.70–1.83) when compared to non-manual workers with no adversity. Among the adversities examined, having had a parent treated for a mental disorder, having grown up in a household living on public assistance or having experienced residential instability were the strongest predictors of CMDs. Conclusion Our findings suggest that, among young employees, manual workers with a history of multiple childhood adversities are especially vulnerable to subsequent CMDs.

Explanations for sickness absence due to common mental disorders: A narrative study of young health and social care workers

“…Our findings concerning the trigger explanation confirm and complement epidemiological knowledge of the associations of childhood adversity and mental disorders (Björkenstam et al., 2021) and related disability pension (Merikukka et al., 2018) in young adulthood. The trigger explanation demonstrates that although mental health problems may be rooted in the distant past, environmental factors such as working conditions could affect whether these symptoms resurface or not.…”

Cumulative Childhood Adversity and Its Associations With Mental Health in Childhood, Adolescence, and Adulthood in Rural China

“…Cumulative childhood adversity is also linked to mental health problems in later life periods. Such mental health problems might include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-harm behaviors, internalizing problems, externalizing problems, antisocial behavior, and personality disorder, among others ( Turner and Butler, 2003 ; Schilling et al, 2008 ; Putnam et al, 2013 ; McLaughlin, 2016 ; Björkenstam et al, 2017 , 2021 ; Steine et al, 2017 ; Hébert et al, 2018 ).…”

Childhood adversity and risk of later labor market marginalization in young employees in Sweden

“…22 CAs have been associated with occupational class, such that the prevalence of CAs is higher in manual workers. 23 Moreover, epidemiological studies on socioeconomic inequalities in LMM have consistently shown that manual workers have an elevated risk for unemployment, 24 SA 25 and DP. 26 Still, studies examining whether there are differences between manual and non-manual workers in the CA and LMM relationship in young employees are lacking to date.…”