Health and social precursors of unemployment in young men in Great Britain.

Abstract

Objective -To identify health and socioeconomic factors in childhood that are precursors of unemployment in early adult life and to examine the hypothesis that young men who become unemployed are more likely to have accumulated risks to health during childhood. Design -Longitudinal birth cohort study. The amount of unemployment experienced in early adult life up to age 32 years was the outcome measure used. Exposure measures to indicate vulnerability to future ill health were: height at age 7 years and the Bristol social adjustment guide (BSAG) at age 11 years, a measure of behavioural maladjustment. Socioeconomic measures were: social class at birth, crowding at age 7, qualifications attained before labour market entry, and region of residence. Setting -Great Britain. Subjects -Altogether 2256 men with complete data from the national child development study (NCDS). The NCDS has collected data on all men and women born in one week in 1958 and has followed them up using interviews, self completion questionnaires, and medical examinations at birth and at ages 7, 11, 16, 23 and 33 years. Results -A total of 269 men (11.9%) experienced more than one year of unemployment between ages 22 and 32 years. Poor socioeconomic conditions in childhood and a lack of qualifications were associated with an increased risk of unemployment. Geographical region was also significant in determining the risk of unemployment. Men with short stature and poor social adjustment in childhood were more likely to experience unemployment in adult life, even after controlling for socioeconomic background, education, and parental height. These differences remained when those with chronic childhood illnesses were excluded from the analysis. The adjusted relative odds for experiencing more than one year of unemployment between ages 22 and 32 years for men who were in the top fifth of the BSAG distribution (most maladjusted) compared with those in the bottom fifth were 2.36 (95% CI 1.49, 3.73). The adjusted relative odds for experiencing more than one year of unemployment between ages 22 and 32 years for men who were in the bottom fifth of the distribution of height at age 7 years (indicating slowest growth) compared with those in the top fifth, were 2.41 (95% CI 1.43, 4.04). Adult height was not significantly associated with unemployment.

Health inequalities in the life course perspective

“…Findings from a longitudinal study showed that women who came from manual social class families and held non-manual social class occupations in adulthood (at 36 years) tended significantly to show the prevalence of low obesity, as in the class they had joined, compared with the class they had left [77]. Unemployment is also commonly found to be associated with ill health [79][80][81] and premature death [82], and a life history approach to this subject shows the importance of pre-existing vulnerability [83]. Longitudinal studies have shown that unemployment is a greater risk for young adults from less favourable family circumstances, with low or no educational attainment, and with early signs of vulnerability to ill health in adulthood [7,83].…”

“…Unemployment is also commonly found to be associated with ill health [79][80][81] and premature death [82], and a life history approach to this subject shows the importance of pre-existing vulnerability [83]. Longitudinal studies have shown that unemployment is a greater risk for young adults from less favourable family circumstances, with low or no educational attainment, and with early signs of vulnerability to ill health in adulthood [7,83]. Experience of divorce and separation is associated with raised risk of self-reported ill health [75] and with psychiatric morbidity [80], but little work has been reported on its association with physical health.…”

“…Studies that take the longer-term life history view of health risk associated with employment and unemployment show that health risk is raised in those with poor social capital. A forthcoming report using longitudinal data from the 1958 British birth cohort shows that childhood health potential, in terms of height at age 7 years and social adjustment at 11 years, was associated with raised risk of unemployment in early adult life [83]. It seems arguable that parental unemployment will present serious risks to the immediate and long-term health of children.…”

Influence of lack of full-time employment on attempted suicide in Manitoba, Canada

“…However, selection, where background and other personal characteristics, place persons simultaneously at higher risk for both unemployment and poor mental health (7,(15)(16)(17)(18)(19), might also explain the association.…”

L’impact du chômage sur la santé

“…À noter que c'est bien la condition sociale représentée par le chômage qui est en cause et non l'inactivité professionnelle en soi, puisque l'augmentation du risque cardiovasculaire et la surmortalité ne se retrouvent pas chez les personnes volontairement inactives (essentiellement des femmes s'occupant d'enfants en bas âge), ou chez les retraités. L'extrapolation de la surmortalité observée dans cette de chômage, ces dernières pouvant être considérées, au même titre que les problèmes de santé, comme des événements faisant partie d'un parcours de vie globalement défavorable [28][29][30]. Il s'agit donc de phénomènes exerçant des effets réciproques les uns sur les autres et qui dépendent d'un contexte social plus large pouvant influencer leur survenue.…”