Showing papers in "Longitudinal and life course studies in 2013"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors set forward a model within the life course perspective of how the social becomes biological, which is intended to provide a framework for thinking about such questions as how does social class get into the molecules, cells and tissues of the body to produce social class differences in life expectancy and cause of death?
Abstract: The present discussion paper sets forward a model within the life course perspective of how the social becomes biological. The model is intended to provide a framework for thinking about such questions as how does social class get into the molecules, cells and tissues of the body to produce social class differences in life expectancy and cause of death? A categorisation of social exposures and biological processes is suggested; and some principles governing their inter-relations proposed. The paper ends by suggesting two public health applications of this approach.
59 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare the performance of population average and subject specific logistic regression models for continuous and repeated measures of binary outcomes in the British Household Panel Survey (BHP Survey).
Abstract: Using data from the British Household Panel Survey, we illustrate how longitudinal repeated measures of binary outcomes are analysed using population average and subject specific logistic regression models. We show how the autocorrelation found in longitudinal data is accounted for by both approaches, and why, in contrast to linear models for continuous outcomes, the parameters of population average and subject specific models for binary outcomes are different. To illustrate these points, we fit different models to our data set using both approaches, and compare and contrast the results obtained. Finally, we use our example to provide some guidance on how to choose between the two approaches.
42 citations
TL;DR: The methodology and characteristics of participants in BiB1000, a nested cohort of the Born in Bradford prospective birth cohort, are described, which aims to enable a deep and extensive understanding of the predictors and influences of health-related behaviours to develop a culturally-specific obesity prevention intervention.
Abstract: Epidemiological evidence indicates that early life factors are important for obesity development but there are gaps in knowledge regarding the impact of exposures during pregnancy and early life, especially in South Asian children. There is a corresponding lack of evidence to guide development of culturally-appropriate, obesity prevention programmes. This paper describes the methodology and characteristics of participants in Born in Bradford 1000 (BiB1000), a nested cohort of the Born in Bradford prospective birth cohort. BiB1000 aims to enable a deep and extensive understanding of the predictors and influences of health-related behaviours to develop a culturally-specific obesity prevention intervention. 1,735 mothers agreed to take part in detailed assessments focused on risk factors of obesity. Of these, 1,707 had singleton births. Data were collected from the families during pregnancy, at birth and when the infant was aged 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months. Approximately half of the mothers (n=933) are of South Asian ethnicity; of which, just under half were born in the UK. Prevalence of obesity in BiB1000 is similar to the full BiB cohort and to UK national averages. In addition to pre-specified hypothesised targets for obesity prevention, (e.g. parental feeding styles, diet and activity), BiB1000 is exploring qualitative determinants of behaviours andother exposures with a lesser evidence base (e.g. food environments, sleep, parenting practices). These data will enable a rich understanding of the behaviours and their determinants in order to inform the development of a culturally-relevant, childhood obesity prevention intervention.
41 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that social origins and pre-tertiary educational pathways have at least an initial impact on dropout risks and draw on retrospective life course data from the “Adult education and life-long learning” stage of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) to reconstruct educational careers and perform an event history analysis on dropping out of higher education.
Abstract: Extending access to higher education has led to a growing heterogeneity in the social origins and previous educational biographies of first-year students They differ in their socialization, their preparedness for tertiary studies, and the salience of alternative options How do these differences relate to social inequality in dropout from higher education? Drawing on theories and concepts of rational choice, differential learning environments, and selection, we argue that social origins and pre-tertiary educational pathways have at least an initial impact on dropout risks We draw on retrospective life course data from the “Adult Education and Life-Long Learning” stage of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) to use pre-tertiary pathways to reconstruct educational careers and perform an event history analysis on dropping out of higher education Results suggest that these pathways substantially influence dropout rates in Germany Students taking the direct pathway via the Gymnasium (ie the school type representing the highest school track) have significantly lower dropout rates than students with an upwardly mobile educational biography or students who obtained a vocational qualification before starting higher education Whereas students from a higher social background are less prone to drop out than students from a lower social background at universities, social origins do not have any significant direct influence on dropout rates at universities of applied sciences and influence only the likelihood of entering these institutions
39 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the degree of interaction between work and family of both partners in the long run over the life course is investigated, using an innovative methodology, optimal matching analysis, and data from the French Family and Employers Survey (2004-05), it defines a typology of work-family strategies for about 950 longlasting couples observed from 3 years before couple formation to 18 years later, and identifies related key life-course stages.
Abstract: Decisions regarding the division of labour are part of a dynamic process of negotiation between partners and thus develop throughout the life cycle, in relation to family events such as successive childbirths. This article investigates the degree of interaction between work and family of both partners in the long run over the life course. Using an innovative methodology, optimal matching analysis, and data from the French Family and Employers Survey (2004-05), it defines a typology of work-family strategies for about 950 long-lasting couples observed from 3 years before couple formation to 18 years later, and identifies related key life-course stages. Finally, it analyses the factors leading to the various trajectories, and assesses whether preferences or opportunities and constraints greatly influence couples' profiles. Results bring to light a wide variety of work-family patterns, where the number of children and the woman's employment trajectory are the key determinants of these couple profiles. In spite of the trend towards equal opportunities, only women adapt their work patterns, except in the most " work-oriented couples ". They use several strategies, by adjusting sequence and timing of births. In line with the standard human capital approach, partners' initial relative endowments influence couples' histories. A more traditional division of work is observed among less educated men and women, while women with greater human capital are more likely to remain employed through the transition to parenthood, whatever their partner's level of education.
28 citations
TL;DR: It is found that maternal education reduces the burden of maternal mental health problems on child development, particularly the case for children of mothers with high levels of education.
Abstract: This study uses the longitudinal data of Young Lives for Peru to investigate the protective role that maternal education has for children whose mothers suffer from mental health problems. Our first set of findings confirms previous research in this area by showing that maternal education is associated with reduced risk of mental health problems for mothers and with improved nutrition and cognitive development for their children. We further find that maternal education reduces the burden of maternal mental health problems on child development. This is particularly the case for children of mothers with high levels of education. Unfortunately, for children of mothers with low levels of education maternal mental health problems continues to predict poor nutritional status and poor cognitive development for children. These results suggest that monitoring and support may be especially important for mothers with lower levels of education if inequalities across generations are to be reduced.
22 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that responses to contemporaneous questions may also be inconsistent, suggesting that retrospective questions of this nature may not be hugely less reliable, and performance in a delayed memory assessment at age 50 was associated with better recall of childhood circumstances.
Abstract: Cross-sectional studies and longitudinal studies alike make regular use of retrospective questions about childhood circumstances. However, little is known about the accuracy with which adults can recall this kind of information. This paper seeks to address this topic by comparing retrospective reports of the number of people and the number of rooms in one’s household at age 11 provided by 50 year old members of a birth cohort study, with responses provided contemporaneously by their parents. The paper demonstrates encouraging levels of consistency between retrospective and contemporaneous reports. By examining reports of number of rooms provided by parents living at the same address in two earlier sweeps of the study (at ages 7 and 11), the paper shows that responses to contemporaneous questions may also be inconsistent, suggesting that retrospective questions of this nature may not be hugely less reliable. A retrospective measure of overcrowding at age 11 is derived using the two variables, and compared with a contemporaneous measure. The two measures lead to the same estimate of the extent of overcrowding, but when used in a model examining the odds of experiencing lung problems as an adult, the two measures behave differently. The paper also demonstrates that there are particular groups who are more likely to provide inconsistent responses than others. Around one in five participants were identified as having particularly poor recall, and the likelihood of being in this group was considerably higher amongst those whose childhood circumstances were more complex. The paper also finds that performance in a delayed memory assessment at age 50 was associated with better recall of childhood circumstances.
21 citations
TL;DR: For example, this article found that having many siblings, or none, may impair, or improve, a child's development compared to being part of a two-child family, and that children with 2 siblings generally showed increased odds of adverse outcomes, especially in cognition.
Abstract: Having many siblings, or none, may impair, or improve, a child's development compared to being part of a two-child family. Any effect may vary for different aspects of development. This note describes, cross-sectionally, the observed association between child development at ages 3 to 7 years and the number of co-resident siblings, at three sweeps of the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Indicators of cognitive development (verbal and non-verbal), are taken from surveys at ages 3, 5 and 7 years. Behavioural problems are reported at the three surveys on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. We analyze its five sub-scales separately, and also the Total Difficulties score. For each of 26 outcomes, we estimate the risk of falling into the most problematic 10% of the child population, depending on the number of siblings at each survey, controlling for the child's gender and the level of the mother's education. In this descriptive exercise, maternal education stands in for a host of possible social covariates; and allows for the least educated mothers having larger families. Children with 2 siblings generally showed increased odds of adverse outcomes, especially in cognition at age 3. This is in line with the hypothesis of resource dilution, but only-children tend, for some outcomes, to score worse than those in two-child families. The odds ratios (ORs) for boys were, except one, unfavourable, of similar magnitude to estimates for larger families. The disadvantages associated with low maternal education were generally greater. These explorations lay the ground for longitudinal modelling of causal pathways.
18 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated young adults' life satisfaction changes during the transition to adulthood, and examined how individuals' agency and personal financial situations are related to the identified life satisfaction trajectories in the contexts of life-span and life course theories of development.
Abstract: The aims of this study were (1) to investigate young adults’ life satisfaction changes during the transition to adulthood, (2) to identify possible life satisfaction developmental trajectories during the transition, and (3) to examine how individuals’ agency and personal financial situations are related to the identified life satisfaction trajectories in the contexts of life-span and life course theories of development. The present study is part of the longitudinal Finnish Educational Transitions (FinEdu) study, in which a total of 372 (278 female and 94 male) young adults filled in questionnaires at four measurement points, that is, twice before (at 18 and 19 years of age) and twice after (at 20 and 22 years of age) the transition from upper secondary high school to tertiary education and/or employment. Growth Mixture Modelling revealed five trajectories of life satisfaction: low-stable (8%), moderate-stable (41%), high-stable (27%), moderate-increasing (17%), and high-decreasing (7%). The vast majority (76%) of young adults had a stable life satisfaction trajectory throughout the transition. High levels of achievement approach strategies at age 19 were somewhat related to high-decreasing and high-stable life satisfaction trajectories. In turn, those using achievement avoidance strategies at age 19 were more likely to have low-stable or moderately-increasing life satisfaction trajectories. Positive life satisfaction trajectories were related to being in a positive financial situation at age 22. The two largest trajectories indicated better objective and subjective financial situations than did the other trajectories.
18 citations
TL;DR: The authors investigated the relationship between repeated parental worklessness and the academic progress made by children in England in their first full year of primary school, using data from two recent longitudinal birth cohort studies with multiple rounds of data collection in the very early years up to age 5.
Abstract: In this paper we investigate the relationship between repeated parental worklessness and the academicprogress made by children in England in their first full year of primary school. We draw on data from two recent longitudinal birth cohort studies with multiple rounds of data collection in the very early years up to age 5. We use the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) which started collecting data from more than 14,000 children and their families in a geographically defined catchment area in 1991/2, and the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), which is a sample of 19,000 children and their families born across the UK around the turn of this century. We constructed measures of repeated (persistent) and temporary (intermittent) worklessness and found that both were associated with lower levels of early academic achievement and progress of children. This association cannot be fully explained by a number of other socio-demographic risks factors (including parental education, income, housing conditions and health), indicating independent risk effects. We furthermore could identify beneficial effects of a stimulating early home-learning environment, which were significant even after controlling for previous levels of children’s cognitive and behavioural adjustment.
15 citations
TL;DR: This article found that the majority of men and women report that the division of labour at home is fair, despite women spending twice as much time on housework as men, and that perceptions of housework fairness are not based on an equal sharing of tasks, but are better understood in terms of equity and distributive justice.
Abstract: This paper investigates changes in perceptions of housework fairness as men and women transition from cohabitation to marriage and experience the birth of a child. Using four waves of data from the Negotiating the Life Course project in Australia, we assess how marriage and parenthood alter perceptions of housework fairness. Consistent with previous research we find that the majority of men and women report that the division of labour at home is fair, despite women spending twice as much time on housework as men. Our results show no changes in perceptions of fairness in relation to marital transitions and only weak evidence of changes in relation to parenthood transitions. We conclude that perceptions of housework fairness are not based on an equal sharing of tasks, but are better understood in terms of equity and distributive justice.
TL;DR: This overview draws on the results of comparative analyses of birth cohort study data collected in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States to illustrate the challenges that arise in carrying out this kind of research and the way these challenges were met.
Abstract: The growing number of countries with large child cohort studies offers an unprecedented opportunity for comparative research. A topic of central interest in my research is, to what extent the sizable gaps in development that exist between children from different socioeconomic status (SES) groups in the US are also present in other countries, and to what extent the mechanisms explaining these gaps are similar or different across countries. This overview draws on the results of comparative analyses of birth cohort study data collected in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, to illustrate the challenges that arise in carrying out this kind of research and the way these challenges were met - in particular those having to do with data access and comparability, and those having to do with causal inference. I conclude that this type of research also offers great promise as shown by findings on SES gaps in child development in the four countries.
TL;DR: This paper used a latent class approach to model interdependent labour market and family experiences from late adolescence to retirement age among a group of older adults in Britain, and assessed how these experiences are related to economic resources and health at age 65.
Abstract: In the context of the life course, it is difficult to understand outcomes and relationships among older adults independently from the experiences that precede them. In this paper, we use a latent class approach to model interdependent labour market and family experiences from late adolescence to retirement age among a group of older adults in Britain. We also assess how these experiences are related to economic resources and health at age 65. The data come from the retrospective life history files of the British Household Panel Survey, and our sample included older adults born between 1927 and 1940. A two-stage latent class model facilitates assessment of the most likely combinations of work and family roles at particular ages across the life course, and the pathways that link these experiences over time, incorporating the effects of gender and birth cohort. Model fit indices and theoretical considerations suggested that five latent life paths broadly characterized the work and family experiences of older adults in this sample. They were distinguished by gender, labour market and family care activities, marital status and the presence of children in the household. We noted better economic resource and mental health outcomes among the latent life pathways describing predominantly male experiences, but also note the heterogeneity of women’s experiences and their implications for economic and health outcomes at retirement age. We discuss the applicability of the latent class approach for modeling work and family histories for future research.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluated the benefits and detriments of the introduction of a stepped approach using mixed-mode data collection and concluded that adding different modes was worthwhile, but as a byproduct, the switching of the interview response setting introduced effects due to the three different modes for obtaining data.
Abstract: According to epidemiological standards for longitudinal studies, any appropriate attempt should be made to reach a high response rate. This also concerns re-contacting respondents in follow-up waves. In the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), respondents, who refused to visit the study site for a follow-up interview and would have been lost in a single step approach, were offered an interview at their home (in a second step) or an interview by telephone (in a third step). The stepped approach intended to increase response rates, but as a by-product, the switching of the interview response setting introduced effects due to the three different modes for obtaining data. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits and detriments of the introduction of a stepped approach using mixed-mode data collection. The attained attrition in the stepped approach was compared to the attrition rate that would have been achieved if the design had remained in a single mode. Logistic regression models were used to study if the attrition was related to patient characteristics, i.e. the attrition was selective. Propensity score matching was used to study if similar respondents reacted differently to different modes. The stepped approach using mixed-mode collection reduced the attrition from 22% to 13%, while the selectivity of the attrition was reduced on almost all socio-demographic variables, although the selectivity increased in variables that reflect the respondents’ mental health. Propensity score matching demonstrated no evidence of mode effects. Although the introduction of the stepped approach using mixed mode data collection did not completely solve the problem of attrition, we conclude that adding different modes was worthwhile.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the association between childhood friendships and adult outcomes and found that children who lacked leisure time friends and a best friend in the school class had increased risks of ending up in the more adverse clusters as adults, whereas the opposite association was found for those who reported being solitary.
Abstract: Friendships constitute a central feature of childhood, yet little is known about the developmental significance extending beyond childhood and adolescence. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate the association between childhood friendships and adult outcomes. Since many outcomes in adulthood go hand in hand, the outcome pattern as a whole was targeted. Based on a longitudinal data material consisting of more than 14,000 individuals born in Stockholm in 1953, a cluster analysis of adult circumstances (1992-2007) was first conducted. Second, the association between three indicators of childhood friendships (1966) and the outcome profiles was analysed by means of multinomial regression analysis. The results indicated that children who lacked leisure time friends and a best friend in the school class had increased risks of ending up in the more adverse clusters as adults, whereas the opposite association was found for those who reported being solitary. The effect of childhood friendships was rather consistent across both single and multiple problems, suggesting that the disadvantages of being without friends in childhood do not accumulate over the life course to any large extent. Generally, the results were the same for males and females. It is concluded that childhood friendships are important for adverse circumstances in adulthood, for both genders. As far as the long-lasting effects of children's friendships involve varying access to social support, school-based interventions should compensate for the scarcity of support following the lack of childhood friends.
TL;DR: The main finding, that respondent characteristics are associated with the overall tracking success rate but do not have a significant association with office tracking success, implies that survey practitioners should consider ways of improving their tracking procedures certain groups of respondents.
Abstract: Longitudinal surveys typically devote considerable resources to tracking procedures designed to minimise attrition through failure to locate sample member who move. Although these tracking procedures are often very successful, there is relatively little methodological evidence about the relative success, and cost-effectiveness, of different tracking procedures (Couper and Ofstedal, 2009). This paper extends the existing literature by exploring the relative effectiveness of office tracking and field tracking and by examining the role of respondent characteristics as a determinant of tracking success rates. These issues are explored using the Millennium Cohort Study, a large-scale birth cohort study in the UK. The existing research on tracking procedures has been based on household panel surveys, but in the context of a birth cohort study with relatively high mobility rates among the study population and longer intervals between waves, the effectiveness of office tracking procedures is particularly important. Our main finding, that respondent characteristics are associated with the overall tracking success rate but do not have a significant association with office tracking success, implies that survey practitioners should consider ways of improving their tracking procedures certain groups of respondents.
TL;DR: This article examined the fertility of migrants using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Longitudinal Study (LS) for England and Wales, which is a 1% sample of the population, constructed by combining data from the census, vital registrations (births and deaths) and the National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR).
Abstract: Demographic research is increasingly making use of longitudinal and life history data, given its strong analytical potential. Such data are frequently produced by linking and matching records from multiple sources. Where this is the case, there is the potential for a person’s appearance in one source of data to be conditional on an event in another source of data. This can lead to bias in estimating occurrence/exposure rates concerning the event in question, unless the correct exposure can be identified. Achieving the latter requires understanding the reasons governing entry to the data. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Longitudinal Study (LS) for England and Wales is a 1% sample of the population, constructed by combining data from the census, vital registrations (births and deaths) and the National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR). This paper examines the difficulties in obtaining the correct exposure for rates in complex data sets by studying the fertility of migrants using the ONS LS. Three tests in relation to the fertility of female migrants to England and Wales illustrate the possible association between exposure to risk and subsequent events. The first identifies the ability of the data set to record new migrants, the second is concerned with the mode of entry to the data set and subsequent fertility, and the third illustrates how the recorded fertility of migrants depends upon the way migration is measured.
TL;DR: This article examined the effect of employment statuses pre- and post-unemployment on levels of subjective well-being (SWB), and the return to preunemployment levels, i.e. set points.
Abstract: Drawingupon recent psychological literature, we examine the effect of employment statuses pre- and post-unemployment on levels of subjective well-being (SWB),and the return to pre-unemployment levels, ie set points Data came from the British Household Panel Survey SWB was measured using the GHQ-12 and a question on life satisfaction; Employment status was self-reported Multilevel, jointed, piecewise, growth curve regression models were used to explore associations by gender, specifically whether different labour force sequences produced different growth curves and rates of adaptation Overall, there was a tendency for men and women to return to well-being set points for both outcomes However, findings showed differences by labour force sequence and SWB measure Women who experienced unemployment between spells of employment returned to their SWB setpoint at a faster rate of return for GHQ than for life satisfaction, while for men, the rates of return were similar to each other Women who were employed prior to unemployment and then became economically inactive showed a return to their GHQ set point, but there was no return to their life satisfaction setpoint Economically inactive participants pre-unemployment, who then gained employment, also showed a return to their well-being set point After economic inactivity and then unemployment, only men experienced a significant increase in life satisfaction upon return to economic inactivity The findings showed that following unemployment, return to subjective well-being setpoint was quicker for people who became employed than for people who became economically inactive There were also differences in the return to SWB setpoint by type of economic inactivity upon exiting unemployment
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The authors investigated whether and how experiencing a first birth influences men's and women's gender-role attitudes and found that men and women in Britain and Australia prioritise motherhood as women's main role after the birth of their first child, but only women believe that motherhood can be pursued in conjunction with paid employment.
Abstract: Research shows that the transition into parenthood is a critical life-course stage, and that it is related to changes in men’s and women’s employment status, work hours, and time spent on housework. We add to this literature by investigating whether and how experiencing a first birth influences men’s and women’s gender-role attitudes. We address this in an international comparative perspective using data from two major panel surveys: the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey and the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), and fixed-effects regression models. Descriptive findings indicate that in both Britain and Australia responses to gender-role attitude questions change over the life course, and that these changes are associated with becoming a parent. Results from regression models confirm that these relationships are robust to controlling for observable and unobservable factors: men and women in Britain and Australia prioritise motherhood as women’s main role after the birth of their first child, but only women believe that motherhood can be pursued in conjunction with paid employment. These results challenge theories arguing that attitudes change mostly as a result of cohort replacement processes and call for further research on the factors that produce attitudinal change over the life course.