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Early-life conditions and health at older ages: The mediating role of educational attainment, family and employment trajectories

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  • Bruno Arpino
  • Jordi Gumà
  • Albert Julià

Abstract

Objectives: We examine to what extent the effect of early-life conditions (health and socioeconomic status) on health in later life is mediated by educational attainment and life-course trajectories (fertility, partnership, employment). Methods: Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (N = 12,034), we apply, separately by gender, multichannel sequence analysis and cluster analysis to obtain groups of similar family and employment histories. The KHB method is used to disentangle direct and indirect effects of early-life conditions on health. Results: Early-life-conditions indirectly impact on health in later life as result of their influence on education and family and employment trajectories. For example, between 22% and 42% of the effect of low parental socio-economic status at childhood on the three considered health outcomes at older age is explained by educational attainment for women. Even higher percentages are found for men (35% - 57%). On the contrary, the positive effect of poor health at childhood on poor health at older ages is not significantly mediated by education and life-course trajectories. Education captures most of the mediating effect of parental socio-economic status. More specifically, between 66% and 75% of the indirect effect of low parental socio-economic status at childhood on the three considered health outcomes at older age is explained by educational attainment for women. Again, higher percentages are found for men (86% - 93%). Early-life conditions, especially socioeconomic status, influence family and employment trajectories indirectly through their impact on education. We also find a persistent direct impact of early-life conditions on health at older ages. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that early-life experiences influence education and life-course trajectories and health in later life, suggesting that public investments in children are expected to produce long lasting effects on people’s lives throughout the different phases of their life-course.

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  • Bruno Arpino & Jordi Gumà & Albert Julià, 2018. "Early-life conditions and health at older ages: The mediating role of educational attainment, family and employment trajectories," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(4), pages 1-17, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0195320
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195320
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    1. Bruno Arpino & Jordi Gumà & Albert JuliÃ, 2021. "Deviations From Standard Family Histories and Subjective Wellbeing at Older Ages," Econometrics Working Papers Archive 2021_16, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti".
    2. Diana Portela & Marta Almada & Luís Midão & Elísio Costa, 2020. "Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (iADL) Limitations in Europe: An Assessment of SHARE Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-15, October.
    3. Machů, Vendula & Veldman, Karin & Arends, Iris & Bültmann, Ute, 2022. "Work-family trajectories in young adulthood: Associations with mental health problems in adolescence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    4. Zhu, Yajing & Steele, Fiona & Moustaki, Irini, 2020. "A multilevel structural equation model for the interrelationships between multiple latent dimensions of childhood socio‐economic circumstances, partnership transitions and mid‐life health," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 103104, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. C. L. Comolli & L. Bernardi & M. Voorpostel, 2021. "Joint Family and Work Trajectories and Multidimensional Wellbeing," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 37(3), pages 643-696, July.
    6. Nia Murniati & Badra Al Aufa & Dian Kusuma & Sudijanto Kamso, 2022. "A Scoping Review on Biopsychosocial Predictors of Mental Health among Older Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-13, September.

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