The importance of adverse childhood experiences for labour market trajectories over the life course: a longitudinal study

Abstract

Background Transitioning from school to work is important in influencing people’s trajectories throughout their life course. This study investigated the extent to which adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were associated with differences in labour market trajectories for young adults in the context of a Nordic child care regime with low levels of child poverty. Methods Information on labour market participation, educational events, and public transfer records was recoded into seven state spaces for each month between ages 16 and 32 for a cohort of Danish adolescents born in a rural county in 1983 (N = 3373). Cluster analysis of the sequences using the optimal matching algorithm was used to identify groups with similar trajectories. Multinomial regression was used to assess the association between self-reported ACEs and cluster membership, taking gender and family of origin into account. Results ‘In employment’ was the state space in which the young adults spent the most time over their early life courses (mean: 85 out of 204 months; 42%). Cluster analysis identified three clusters. Cluster 3 was most distinct, where the mean time ‘outside the labour market’ was 149 months (73%), and only 17 months (8%) were spent ‘in employment’. Cumulative ACEs increased the probability of being included in Cluster 3 (OR: 1.51). Experiencing parental divorce (OR: 3.05), witnessing a violent event (OR: 3.70), and being abused (OR: 5.64) were most strongly associated with Cluster 3 membership. Conclusions Labour market trajectories among adolescents with a higher number of ACEs consisted of more time outside the labour market, compared to adolescents who had experienced fewer adversities. The lasting consequences of childhood adversity should be taken more into account in welfare policies, even in countries such as Denmark, with high social security levels and high-quality universal childcare.

The Impact of ACEs on BMI: An Investigation of the Genotype-Environment Effects of BMI

“…Here, we show that a multi-ethnic cohort with a high rate of some college education (88%) and a higher-than-average median income ($72,303) shows a definitive association between the number of different ACEs experienced in childhood and adulthood BMI. It has been previously determined that lower educational level and lower income are both linked to higher BMI and a greater number of ACEs (Hajian-Tilaki and Heidari, 2010;Hermann et al, 2011;Cohen et al, 2013;Ogden et al, 2017;Hardcastle et al, 2018;Blair et al, 2019;Giano et al, 2021;Hansen et al, 2021;Haugland et al, 2021), which suggests that we may be underestimating the factors that impact BMI in the HNP. Via linear regression, we show that each 0.37 ACE experienced increases adult BMI levels by 1 kg/m 2 .…”

Associations between type of childhood adversities and labour market participation and employment conditions in young adults

“…12 14-16 Currently available evidence suggests that it is possible to distinguish between groups of young adults on the labour market, which may be differentiated in terms of labour market participation states, employment conditions and adversity exposure patterns. 15 These groups may require diverging policy strategies tailored to differences in exposure to adversity, as well as to the mechanisms through which adversities are associated with labour market participation and employment conditions. For example, young adults who experience maltreatment might be more often unemployed and on benefits due to ongoing mental health problems, 16 whereas those who experienced material deprivation might enter the labour market earlier due to lower educational attainment.…”

“…Studies to date have shown that cumulative exposure to childhood adversity is associated with a variety of outcomes relevant to young adults’ working lives: unemployment,10 11 benefit recipiency,12 income,13 NEET (not in employment, education or training) and labour market participation trajectories 14–17. However, cumulative exposure conceptualisations of childhood adversity have been criticised for not providing evidence that is required to better understand the mechanisms through which adversity is associated with outcomes of interest.…”

“…Most recently, Hansen et al 15 showed that young adults whose working lives were characterised by early full-time employment throughout young adulthood after obtaining a vocational degree, or by reduced labour market participation (eg, frequent or long-term unemployment spells), largely differed in the type of exposure to adversity compared with young adults who were studying for most of their early 20s. Especially those AEs that relate to behaviours of parents, such as abuse and parental addiction, were strongly associated with frequent or long-term unemployment spells; AEs such as parental divorce and witnessing violence were strongly associated with early labour market entry 15. AEs that more or less befall parents, such as a physical illness or a death of a parent, were not associated with labour market participation in young adulthood 12 15.…”

“…Especially those AEs that relate to behaviours of parents, such as abuse and parental addiction, were strongly associated with frequent or long-term unemployment spells; AEs such as parental divorce and witnessing violence were strongly associated with early labour market entry 15. AEs that more or less befall parents, such as a physical illness or a death of a parent, were not associated with labour market participation in young adulthood 12 15. Only few other studies investigated the importance of individual AEs for labour market outcomes, and there is marked between-study heterogeneity with regard to assessments of AEs and labour market outcomes.…”