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Hagström, A. S. & Hammarström, A. (2024). A life marked by early school leaving: gendered working life paths linked to health and well-being over 40 years. BMC Public Health, 24(1), Article ID 1966.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>A life marked by early school leaving: gendered working life paths linked to health and well-being over 40 years
2024 (English)In: BMC Public Health, E-ISSN 1471-2458, Vol. 24, no 1, article id 1966Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: There is increasing awareness of the need to analyse symptoms of mental ill-health among early school leavers. Dropping out of compulsory education limits access to the labour market and education and could be related to deteriorating mental health over the course of a lifetime. The aim of this longitudinal study is to explore how early school leavers not in education, employment or training (NEET) narrate their working life trajectories linked to health, agency and gender relations.

Methods: Twelve early school leavers in the Swedish Northern Cohort (six women and six men) were interviewed over 40 years about their working life and health. Their life stories were analysed using structural narrative analysis to examine the evolution of their working life paths and to identify commonalities, variations and gendered patterns.

Results: All the participants started in the same position of “an unhealthy gendered working life in youth due to NEET status”. Subsequently, three distinct working life paths evolved: “a precarious gendered working life with negative health implications”, “a stable gendered working life in health challenging jobs” and “a self-realising gendered working life with improved health”. Agency was negotiated through struggle narratives, survival narratives, coping narratives and redemption narratives.

Conclusions: Even in a welfare regime like Sweden’s in the early 1980s, early school leavers not in education, employment or training experienced class-related and gendered working and living conditions, which created unequal conditions for health. Despite Sweden’s active labour market policies and their own practices of agency, the participants still ended up NEET and with precarious working life paths. Labour market policies should prioritise reducing unemployment, combating precarious employment, creating job opportunities, providing training and subsidised employment in healthy environments, and offering grants to re-enter further education. Our study highlights the need for further analyses of the contextual and gendered expressions of health among early school leavers throughout their lifetime, and of individual agency in various contexts for overcoming adversities.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BioMed Central (BMC), 2024
Keywords
Gender, Health, Labour market, Longitudinal study, Narrative, NEET, School Leaver, Unemployment, Youth
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine Gender Studies Work Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-228103 (URN)10.1186/s12889-024-19447-0 (DOI)001275371000009 ()39044168 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85199386616 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council Formas, 259-2012-37Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2018-01052
Available from: 2024-08-06 Created: 2024-08-06 Last updated: 2025-02-20Bibliographically approved
Virtanen, P., Nummi, T., Westerlund, H., Östergren, P.-O., Janlert, U. & Hammarström, A. (2024). Active labour market policies in emerging adulthood may act as a protective factor against future depressiveness: an analysis of the long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms in the Northern Swedish Cohort. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, Article ID 1345034.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Active labour market policies in emerging adulthood may act as a protective factor against future depressiveness: an analysis of the long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms in the Northern Swedish Cohort
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2024 (English)In: Frontiers in Public Health, E-ISSN 2296-2565, Vol. 12, article id 1345034Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Introduction: Drawing upon the framework of life course epidemiology, this study aligns with research on the mental health consequences of significant social transitions during early adulthood. The focus is on the variation in initial labour market attachment and the development of depressiveness, assuming that a firm attachment is associated with decreasing depressiveness.

Methods: The baseline investigation of the studied cohort (n = 1,001) took place during their final year of compulsory schooling at age 16. Follow-up surveys were conducted at ages 18, 21, 30, and 43. Depressiveness was measured with a five-item score. Multiple trajectory analysis, incorporating five labour market statuses observed over seven half-year periods from ages 18 to 21, was employed to categorize the cohort into six distinct groups. Among these, ‘All-time education,’ ‘From education to employment,’ ‘Education and employment,’ and ‘From employment to education’ were considered to demonstrate firm labour market attachment. Meanwhile, ‘Active labour market policy’ and ‘Unemployment’ represented less firm attachment.

Results: The trajectory of depressive symptoms among the total cohort from age 16 to age 43 exhibited a ‘broken stick’ pattern, reaching its lowest point at age 21. This pattern was evident in all groups classified as having a firm attachment. A substantial decrease in depressiveness was also observed in the relatively weakly attached ‘Active labour market policy’ group, whereas no ‘broken stick’ pattern emerged in the ‘Unemployment’ group. The disparities in the levels of depressiveness observed at age 21 remained relatively stable across the measurements at ages 30 and 43.

Discussion: The results were as expected, except for the observed improvement in mental health within the ‘Active labour market policy’ group. Supported labour market attachment during emerging adulthood can enhance mental well-being similarly to regular mainstream attachment. In terms of policy recommendations, the consistently high levels of depressiveness within the ‘Unemployment’ group underscore the importance of reducing long-term and repeated unemployment in young age. The findings regarding the ‘Active labour market policy’ provide evidence of the intervention’s benefits. While the primary goal of these measures is to create jobs for the unemployed, they also include elements that contribute to participants’ mental health.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Frontiers Media S.A., 2024
Keywords
cohort study, life-course epidemiology, mental health, Sweden, trajectory analysis
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-224106 (URN)10.3389/fpubh.2024.1345034 (DOI)001206841800001 ()38655526 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85191051506 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council Formas, 259–2012-37Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2011–0445
Available from: 2024-05-15 Created: 2024-05-15 Last updated: 2025-02-20Bibliographically approved
Hammarström, A., Westerlund, H., Janlert, U., Virtanen, P., Ziaei, S. & Östergren, P.-O. (2024). How do labour market conditions explain the development of mental health over the life-course?: a conceptual integration of the ecological model with life-course epidemiology in an integrative review of results from the Northern Swedish Cohort. BMC Public Health, 24(1), Article ID 1315.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>How do labour market conditions explain the development of mental health over the life-course?: a conceptual integration of the ecological model with life-course epidemiology in an integrative review of results from the Northern Swedish Cohort
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2024 (English)In: BMC Public Health, E-ISSN 1471-2458, Vol. 24, no 1, article id 1315Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: The aim of this study was to contribute to the theoretical development within the field of labour market effects on mental health during life by integrating Bronfenbrenner's ecological model with mainly earlier theoretical work on life-course theory.

Methods: An integrative review was performed of all 52 publications about labour market conditions in relation to mental health from the longitudinal Northern Swedish Cohort study. Inductive and deductive qualitative content analysis were performed in relation to Bronfenbrenner's ecological framework combined with life-course theories.

Results: The following nine themes were identified: 1. Macroeconomic recession impairs mental health among young people. 2. The mental health effects on individuals of youth unemployment seem rather insensitive to recession. 3. Small but consistent negative effect of neighbourhood unemployment and other work-related disadvantaged on individuals' mental health over life. 4. Youth unemployment becomes embodied as scars of mental ill-health over life. 5. Weak labour market attachment impairs mental health over life. 6. Bidirectional relations between health and weak labour market attachment over life. 7. Macrolevel structures are of importance for how labour market position cause poor health. 8. Unequal gender relations at work impacts negatively on mental health. 9. The agency to improve health over life in dyadic relations. Unemployment in society permeates from the macrolevel into the exolevel, defined by Bronfenbrenner as for example the labour market of parents or partners or the neighbourhood into the settings closest to the individual (the micro- and mesolevel) and affects the relations between the work, family, and leisure spheres of the individual. Neighbourhood unemployment leads to poor health among those who live there, independent of their employment status. Individuals' exposure to unemployment and temporary employment leads to poorer mental health over the life-course. Temporal dimensions were identified and combined with Bronfenbrenner levels into a contextual life-course model

Conclusion: Combining the ecosocial theory with life-course theories provides a framework for understanding the embodiment of work-related mental health over life. The labour market conditions surrounding the individual are of crucial importance for the embodiment of mental health over life, at the same time as individual agency can be health promoting. Mental health can be improved by societal efforts in regulations of the labour market.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BioMed Central (BMC), 2024
Keywords
Agency, Ecosocial theory, Embodiment, Labour market, Life-course theories, Mental health, Societal efforts, Theories
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-225002 (URN)10.1186/s12889-024-18461-6 (DOI)001224135300005 ()38750531 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85193339801 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2024-06-07 Created: 2024-06-07 Last updated: 2025-02-20Bibliographically approved
Virtanen, P., Nummi, T., Janlert, U. & Hammarström, A. (2024). Psychosocial conditions during school-age as determinants of long-term labour market attachment: a study of the Northern Swedish Cohort from the 1980s to the 2020s. BMC Public Health, 24(1), Article ID 191.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Psychosocial conditions during school-age as determinants of long-term labour market attachment: a study of the Northern Swedish Cohort from the 1980s to the 2020s
2024 (English)In: BMC Public Health, E-ISSN 1471-2458, Vol. 24, no 1, article id 191Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: This study, conducted on a Swedish population cohort, explores how internalized (depressive and functional somatic) and externalized (smoking, drinking, truancy, vandalism, delinquency) mental health symptoms, as well as close interpersonal relations (family climate and school connectedness) reported during adolescence, influence the work-life course up to late midlife.

Methods: We examined repeated measurements of labour market status from age 16 to 56 using sequence analyses. We identified five different labour market attachment (LMA16-56) trajectories, namely ‘strong,’ ‘early intermediate,’ ‘early weak,’ ‘late weak,’ and ‘constantly weak.’ Multinomial logistic regressions were employed to relate each of the nine determinants to the identified trajectories.

Results: When compared to the risk of ‘strong’ LMA16-56, adversity in all conditions, except for vandalism, entailed a higher risk of the ‘constantly weak’ trajectory. Moreover, all conditions, except for functional somatic symptoms, entailed a higher risk of the ‘late weak’ LMA16-56. The risk of the ‘early intermediate’ LMA16-56 was non-significant across all the conditions.

Conclusions: This study contributes to existing knowledge through its novel exploration of labour market attachment and the revelation of the significance of proximal interpersonal relationships in attachment outcomes. Additionally, the study reaffirms the importance of externalizing behaviour, while suggesting that internalized symptoms in adolescence might have a less influential, though not negligible, role. These results underscore the importance of addressing acting out behaviour and nurturing human relationships during compulsory basic education, when the entire age group is still within reach. This approach aims not only to reduce frictions in the school-to-work transition but also to prevent midlife labour market attachment problems that may arise with delayed intervention.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BioMed Central (BMC), 2024
Keywords
Cohort study, Externalised symptoms, Family climate, Internalised symptoms, Labour market, Latent class analysis, School connectedness, Sequence analysis, Sweden
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-220003 (URN)10.1186/s12889-023-17611-6 (DOI)001143989500005 ()38229043 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85182489551 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council Formas, 259–2012-37Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2011−0445
Available from: 2024-02-01 Created: 2024-02-01 Last updated: 2025-02-20Bibliographically approved
Hammarström, A., Bean, C., Pingel, R., Janlert, U., Westerlund, H., Östergren, P. O. & Virtanen, P. (2024). Why does youth unemployment lead to scarring of depressive symptoms in adulthood? The importance of early adulthood drinking. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 52(8), 960-967
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Why does youth unemployment lead to scarring of depressive symptoms in adulthood? The importance of early adulthood drinking
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2024 (English)In: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, ISSN 1403-4948, E-ISSN 1651-1905, Vol. 52, no 8, p. 960-967Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Aim: The aim of the paper is to analyse if alcohol consumption could explain the scarring effect of youth unemployment on later depressive symptoms.

Methods: The analyses are based on the 24-year follow-up of school leavers in a municipality in Northern Sweden (the Northern Swedish Cohort). Four-way decomposition analyses were performed to analyse if alcohol use at age 30 years could mediate and/or moderate the effect of youth unemployment (ages 18/21 years) on depressive symptoms in later adulthood (age 43 years).

Results: Excessive alcohol use at early adulthood (age 30 years) mediates 18% of the scarring effect of youth unemployment on depressive symptoms in later adulthood. The scarring effect was seen among both those with and without excessive alcohol use.

Conclusions: Youth unemployment leads to poor mental health later in life and part of these relations are explained by excessive alcohol consumption in early adulthood. Policy interventions should target the prevention of youth unemployment for reaching a lower alcohol consumption and better mental health.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2024
Keywords
alcohol drinking, depressive symptoms, life-course epidemiology, scarring, Youth unemployment
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-219324 (URN)10.1177/14034948231208472 (DOI)001133704700001 ()38153038 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85181206365 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 259-2012-37Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2011-0445
Available from: 2024-01-12 Created: 2024-01-12 Last updated: 2025-02-20Bibliographically approved
Haukenes, I. & Hammarström, A. (2024). Workplace gender composition and sickness absence: a register-based study from Sweden. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 52(6), 678-684
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Workplace gender composition and sickness absence: a register-based study from Sweden
2024 (English)In: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, ISSN 1403-4948, E-ISSN 1651-1905, Vol. 52, no 6, p. 678-684Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Aims: This study aimed to examine the association between gender composition in the workplace and sickness absence days during a one-year period.

Methods: The study population was drawn from the Northern Swedish Cohort (wave 3; 2007) by Statistics Sweden and consisted of all participants belonging to a specific workplace (n=837) as well as all co-workers at the workplace of the participants (n=132,464; 67,839 women and 64,625 men). Exposure was the gender composition of the workplace, and outcome was cumulative sickness absence days (⩾90 days or not) during 2007, provided through a link to the Database for Health Insurance and Labour Marked Studies of Statistics Sweden. Covariates were gender, age, educational level and branch of industry from the same data source. We performed descriptive analyses and multivariable regression analyses.

Results: Workers in extremely female-dominated workplaces had a significantly higher risk of cumulative sickness absence days (⩾90 days) compared with gender-equal workplaces (fully adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.27; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09–1.48), whereas those working in extremely and moderately male-dominated workplaces had a significantly lower sickness absence risk (OR=0.62 and 0.66, respectively). Stratified by gender, the higher absence risk at female-dominated workplaces was fully explained by variation in branches of industry. Women working in extremely male-dominated workplaces had a significantly lower absence risk (OR=0.75), as did men working in moderately male-dominated workplaces (OR=0.78).

Conclusions: Workplaces dominated by women had a significantly higher risk of days lost to sickness absence compared to gender-equal workplaces. Stratified by gender, this higher risk was explained by branch of industry.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2024
Keywords
absenteeism, gender, gender composition, gender segregated workplaces, labour market, registry, sick days, Sick leave, Sweden, workplace
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-211811 (URN)10.1177/14034948231176108 (DOI)001078064900001 ()37265198 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85162960923 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2023-07-11 Created: 2023-07-11 Last updated: 2025-02-20Bibliographically approved
Ziaei, S. & Hammarström, A. (2023). The relationship between interpersonal violence in adulthood and mental health: a longitudinal study based on the Northern Swedish Cohort. BMC Public Health, 23(1), Article ID 637.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>The relationship between interpersonal violence in adulthood and mental health: a longitudinal study based on the Northern Swedish Cohort
2023 (English)In: BMC Public Health, E-ISSN 1471-2458, Vol. 23, no 1, article id 637Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal studies evaluating the negative effects of exposure to interpersonal violence in the adulthood on the mental health of both women and men are scarce. Using longitudinal data, we evaluated the relationship between the last year experience of violence and functional somatic and depressive symptoms at the ages of 30 and 43 among participants (n = 1006; 483 women and 523 men) in the Northern Swedish Cohort. Further, the relationship between cumulative exposure to violence over a decade and mental health symptoms among participants was evaluated.

METHODS: Participants' experience of interpersonal violence and symptoms of functional somatic and depressive symptoms were evaluated with standard questionnaires at the ages of 30 and 43. General linear models were used to evaluate the relationship between the experience of interpersonal violence and mental health symptoms among the participants. The interactions between gender and violence on functional somatic and depressive symptoms were evaluated separately, and models in which the interaction was significant, were split by gender.

RESULTS: We found that the last year experience of violence at the age of 30 was related to current functional somatic symptoms among all participants and depressive symptoms only among men, (β Adj for the experience of any violence among men: 0.21; CI: 0.12-0.29; Vs. among women: 0.06; CI: -0.04-0.16, p for interaction = 0.02). At the age of 43, last year experience of violence was related to both functional somatic and depressive symptoms in both genders. Finally, a cumulative relationship between the experience of violence over time and mental health symptoms was observed in all participants.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed that while the relationship between the experience of interpersonal violence and mental health symptoms may differ among men and women and with age, the experience of violence can be negatively related to the mental health in both genders.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BioMed Central (BMC), 2023
Keywords
Gender, Interpersonal violence, Longitudinal study, Mental health, Sweden
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-206777 (URN)10.1186/s12889-023-15525-x (DOI)000983889000005 ()37013550 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85151696163 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council Formas, 259-2012-37
Available from: 2023-04-26 Created: 2023-04-26 Last updated: 2025-02-20Bibliographically approved
Veldman, K., Pingel, R., Hallqvist, J., G Bean, C. & Hammarström, A. (2022). How does social support shape the association between depressive symptoms and labour market participation: a four-way decomposition. European Journal of Public Health, 32(1), 8-13
Open this publication in new window or tab >>How does social support shape the association between depressive symptoms and labour market participation: a four-way decomposition
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2022 (English)In: European Journal of Public Health, ISSN 1101-1262, E-ISSN 1464-360X, Vol. 32, no 1, p. 8-13Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

BACKGROUND: Little is known about factors that may explain the association between depressive symptoms and poor labour market participation (LMP). The aim of this study is to examine the mediation and interaction effects of social support on the association between depressive symptoms and LMP.

METHODS: Data were used from 985 participants (91% of the initial cohort) of the Northern Swedish Cohort, a longitudinal study of Swedish participants followed from adolescence throughout adulthood. Depressive symptoms were measured at age 16, social support at age 21 and LMP from age 30 to 43. Poor LMP was defined as being unemployed for a total of 6 months or more between the ages of 30 and 43. A four-way decomposition approach was applied to identify direct, mediation and interaction effects, together and separately.

RESULTS: Both depressive symptoms during adolescence and social support at young adulthood were associated with poor LMP [odds ratio (OR) = 1.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17-2.47 and OR = 2.56, 95% CI 1.78-3.68 respectively]. The association between depressive symptoms and poor LMP was partially mediated by a lack of social support. No interaction effect of a lack of social support was found.

CONCLUSION: The results suggest that depressive symptoms influence not only later LMP but also the intermediary level of social support, and in turn influencing later LMP. Recommendations for public health are to detect and treat depressive symptoms at an early stage and to focus on the development of social skills, facilitating the increased availability of social support, thereby improving future LMP.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Oxford University Press, 2022
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-192367 (URN)10.1093/eurpub/ckab185 (DOI)000769817600005 ()34871391 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85123969609 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 259-2012-37
Available from: 2022-02-11 Created: 2022-02-11 Last updated: 2025-02-20Bibliographically approved
Norström, F. & Hammarström, A. (2022). Methodological perspectives on the study of the health effects of unemployment – reviewing the mode of unemployment, the statistical analysis method and the role of confounding factors. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 22(1), Article ID 199.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Methodological perspectives on the study of the health effects of unemployment – reviewing the mode of unemployment, the statistical analysis method and the role of confounding factors
2022 (English)In: BMC Medical Research Methodology, E-ISSN 1471-2288, Vol. 22, no 1, article id 199Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Introduction: Studying the relationship between unemployment and health raises many methodological challenges. In the current study, the aim was to evaluate the sensitivity of estimates based on different ways of measuring unemployment and the choice of statistical model.

Methods: The Northern Swedish cohort was used, and two follow-up surveys thereof from 1995 and 2007, as well as register data about unemployment. Self-reported current unemployment, self-reported accumulated unemployment and register-based accumulated unemployment were used to measure unemployment and its effect on self-reported health was evaluated. Analyses were conducted with G-computation, logistic regression and three estimators for the inverse probability weighting propensity scores, and 11 potentially confounding variables were part of the analyses. Results were presented with absolute differences in the proportion with poor self-reported health between unemployed and employed individuals, except when logistic regression was used alone.

Results: Of the initial 1083 pupils in the cohort, our analyses vary between 488–693 individuals defined as employed and 61–214 individuals defined as unemployed. In the analyses, the deviation was large between the unemployment measures, with a difference of at least 2.5% in effect size when unemployed was compared with employed for the self-reported and register-based unemployment modes. The choice of statistical method only had a small influence on effect estimates and the deviation was in most cases lower than 1%. When models were compared based on the choice of potential confounders in the analytical model, the deviations were rarely above 0.6% when comparing models with 4 and 11 potential confounders. Our variable for health selection was the only one that strongly affected estimates when it was not part of the statistical model.

Conclusions: How unemployment is measured is highly important when the relationship between unemployment and health is estimated. However, misspecifications of the statistical model or choice of analytical method might not matter much for estimates except for the inclusion of a variable measuring health status before becoming unemployed. Our results can guide researchers when analysing similar research questions. Model diagnostics is commonly lacking in publications, but they remain very important for validation of analyses.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BioMed Central, 2022
Keywords
Biased estimates, G-computation, Labour market, Propensity score weighting, Unemployment
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-198290 (URN)10.1186/s12874-022-01670-1 (DOI)000828611700003 ()35864450 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85134498495 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2011-0839
Available from: 2022-08-01 Created: 2022-08-01 Last updated: 2025-02-20Bibliographically approved
Berg, N., Nummi, T., Bean, C. G., Westerlund, H., Virtanen, P. & Hammarström, A. (2022). Risk factors in adolescence as predictors of trajectories of somatic symptoms over 27 years. European Journal of Public Health, 32(5), 696-702
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Risk factors in adolescence as predictors of trajectories of somatic symptoms over 27 years
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2022 (English)In: European Journal of Public Health, ISSN 1101-1262, E-ISSN 1464-360X, Vol. 32, no 5, p. 696-702Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: Somatic symptoms among adolescents are common, yet little is known about long-term trajectories of somatic symptoms and the factors in adolescence that shape them. We examined individual, family and school-based factors at age 16 as predictors of trajectories of somatic symptoms over 27 years.

Methods: Participants from the Northern Swedish Cohort (n = 1001) responded to questions about individual factors (e.g. health behaviours), family factors (e.g. contact with parents, social and material adversity) and school satisfaction at age 16; as well as 10 somatic symptoms at ages 16, 18, 21, 30 and 43. Teacher assessments at age 16 included overall ability at school and peer relations. Age 16 predictors of somatic symptom trajectory group membership were analysed using multinomial logistic regression.

Results: Poor contact with mother and poor school satisfaction were significant predictors of adverse symptom trajectories among both men and women. Low birth weight and low parental academic involvement were contributing factors for women, while smoking and social adversity were more relevant factors for men.

Conclusions: Our findings emphasize the importance of a holistic approach that considers the unique contributions of individual, family and school-based factors in the development of trajectories of somatic symptoms from adolescence to middle age.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Oxford University Press, 2022
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-203693 (URN)10.1093/eurpub/ckac081 (DOI)000833499500001 ()35904464 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85153287614 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council Formas, 259-2012-37Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2011-0445
Available from: 2023-01-19 Created: 2023-01-19 Last updated: 2025-02-20Bibliographically approved
Projects
Developing a tool for analysing gender equity in health care - a gender theoretical approach to Swedish hospital-based health care [2009-05839_VR]; Umeå UniversityUnemployment and scarring - a life course analyses of the health consequences in adult age of youth unemployment in different economic trade cycles [2011-00445_Forte]; Umeå UniversityHow are sex, gender and health interwoven? Theoretical development in a Northern European context [2011-05478_VR]; Uppsala UniversityMental health in adolescence and the paths ahead. An ecological life course approach to mental health trajectories into adulthood [2012-37_Formas]; Umeå University
Organisations
Identifiers
ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0002-4095-7961

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