Trajectories of family poverty and children's mental health: Results from the Danish National Birth Cohort

Laura Pryor; Katrine Strandberg-Larsen; Anne Marie Nybo Andersen; Naja Hulvej Rod; Maria Melchior

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.10.023

Trajectories of family poverty and children's mental health: Results from the Danish National Birth Cohort

Laura Pryor^*, Katrine Strandberg-Larsen, Anne Marie Nybo Andersen, Naja Hulvej Rod, Maria Melchior

^*Corresponding author for this work

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Children exposed to socioeconomic adversity have elevated levels of psychological difficulties immediately and long-term. However, few studies have examined the consequences of long-term patterns of dynamic trajectories of family income. The Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) is a longitudinal, population-based birth cohort study (1996–2002). Data on household poverty from the year before birth until the child was 10 years of age (n = 12 measures) were obtained from the National Danish Registries and modeled using semiparametric group-based modeling. Child mental health symptoms were measured at 11 years using mother and child-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (n = 40 192), and the child-reported Stress in Childhood (SiC) scale (n = 46 284). Four categories of family socioeconomic position were identified: 1) No poverty (83.5%); 2) Intermittent poverty, representing families who alternate between being above and below the poverty cut-off (8.6%); 3) Poverty during the perinatal period (4.9%); and 4) Chronic poverty (3.0%). Controlling for several early life characteristics of the family, mother and child, intermittent poverty vs. no poverty was consistently associated with child psychological difficulties (any problem: RR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16–1.64; conduct problems: RR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16–1.64; and stress: RR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02–1.12). An association was also found between perinatal poverty and children's symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention (RR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.03; 1.59). We found no associations between chronic poverty and any of the outcome measures when adjusting for early life risk factors. Children growing up in households characterized by financial instability have elevated levels of psychosocial symptoms, especially externalizing behaviors, as well as stress in early adolescence.

Original language	English
Journal	Social Science and Medicine
Volume	220
Pages (from-to)	371-378
Number of pages	8
ISSN	0277-9536
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.10.023
Publication status	Published - 2019

Keywords

Child health and development
Denmark
Developmental trajectories
Health inequalities
Mental health
Poverty
Stress

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.10.023

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@article{6e7a04177ef44fe48c89980161713110,

title = "Trajectories of family poverty and children's mental health: Results from the Danish National Birth Cohort",

abstract = "Children exposed to socioeconomic adversity have elevated levels of psychological difficulties immediately and long-term. However, few studies have examined the consequences of long-term patterns of dynamic trajectories of family income. The Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) is a longitudinal, population-based birth cohort study (1996–2002). Data on household poverty from the year before birth until the child was 10 years of age (n = 12 measures) were obtained from the National Danish Registries and modeled using semiparametric group-based modeling. Child mental health symptoms were measured at 11 years using mother and child-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (n = 40 192), and the child-reported Stress in Childhood (SiC) scale (n = 46 284). Four categories of family socioeconomic position were identified: 1) No poverty (83.5%); 2) Intermittent poverty, representing families who alternate between being above and below the poverty cut-off (8.6%); 3) Poverty during the perinatal period (4.9%); and 4) Chronic poverty (3.0%). Controlling for several early life characteristics of the family, mother and child, intermittent poverty vs. no poverty was consistently associated with child psychological difficulties (any problem: RR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16–1.64; conduct problems: RR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16–1.64; and stress: RR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02–1.12). An association was also found between perinatal poverty and children's symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention (RR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.03; 1.59). We found no associations between chronic poverty and any of the outcome measures when adjusting for early life risk factors. Children growing up in households characterized by financial instability have elevated levels of psychosocial symptoms, especially externalizing behaviors, as well as stress in early adolescence.",

keywords = "Child health and development, Denmark, Developmental trajectories, Health inequalities, Mental health, Poverty, Stress",

author = "Laura Pryor and Katrine Strandberg-Larsen and {Nybo Andersen}, {Anne Marie} and {Hulvej Rod}, Naja and Maria Melchior",

year = "2019",

doi = "10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.10.023",

language = "English",

volume = "220",

pages = "371--378",

journal = "Social Science and Medicine",

issn = "0277-9536",

publisher = "Pergamon Press",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Trajectories of family poverty and children's mental health

T2 - Results from the Danish National Birth Cohort

AU - Pryor, Laura

AU - Strandberg-Larsen, Katrine

AU - Nybo Andersen, Anne Marie

AU - Hulvej Rod, Naja

AU - Melchior, Maria

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Children exposed to socioeconomic adversity have elevated levels of psychological difficulties immediately and long-term. However, few studies have examined the consequences of long-term patterns of dynamic trajectories of family income. The Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) is a longitudinal, population-based birth cohort study (1996–2002). Data on household poverty from the year before birth until the child was 10 years of age (n = 12 measures) were obtained from the National Danish Registries and modeled using semiparametric group-based modeling. Child mental health symptoms were measured at 11 years using mother and child-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (n = 40 192), and the child-reported Stress in Childhood (SiC) scale (n = 46 284). Four categories of family socioeconomic position were identified: 1) No poverty (83.5%); 2) Intermittent poverty, representing families who alternate between being above and below the poverty cut-off (8.6%); 3) Poverty during the perinatal period (4.9%); and 4) Chronic poverty (3.0%). Controlling for several early life characteristics of the family, mother and child, intermittent poverty vs. no poverty was consistently associated with child psychological difficulties (any problem: RR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16–1.64; conduct problems: RR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16–1.64; and stress: RR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02–1.12). An association was also found between perinatal poverty and children's symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention (RR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.03; 1.59). We found no associations between chronic poverty and any of the outcome measures when adjusting for early life risk factors. Children growing up in households characterized by financial instability have elevated levels of psychosocial symptoms, especially externalizing behaviors, as well as stress in early adolescence.

AB - Children exposed to socioeconomic adversity have elevated levels of psychological difficulties immediately and long-term. However, few studies have examined the consequences of long-term patterns of dynamic trajectories of family income. The Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) is a longitudinal, population-based birth cohort study (1996–2002). Data on household poverty from the year before birth until the child was 10 years of age (n = 12 measures) were obtained from the National Danish Registries and modeled using semiparametric group-based modeling. Child mental health symptoms were measured at 11 years using mother and child-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (n = 40 192), and the child-reported Stress in Childhood (SiC) scale (n = 46 284). Four categories of family socioeconomic position were identified: 1) No poverty (83.5%); 2) Intermittent poverty, representing families who alternate between being above and below the poverty cut-off (8.6%); 3) Poverty during the perinatal period (4.9%); and 4) Chronic poverty (3.0%). Controlling for several early life characteristics of the family, mother and child, intermittent poverty vs. no poverty was consistently associated with child psychological difficulties (any problem: RR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16–1.64; conduct problems: RR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16–1.64; and stress: RR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02–1.12). An association was also found between perinatal poverty and children's symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention (RR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.03; 1.59). We found no associations between chronic poverty and any of the outcome measures when adjusting for early life risk factors. Children growing up in households characterized by financial instability have elevated levels of psychosocial symptoms, especially externalizing behaviors, as well as stress in early adolescence.

KW - Child health and development

KW - Denmark

KW - Developmental trajectories

KW - Health inequalities

KW - Mental health

KW - Poverty

KW - Stress

U2 - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.10.023

DO - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.10.023

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 30513487

AN - SCOPUS:85057452786

SN - 0277-9536

VL - 220

SP - 371

EP - 378

JO - Social Science and Medicine

JF - Social Science and Medicine

ER -

Trajectories of family poverty and children's mental health: Results from the Danish National Birth Cohort

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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