Associations between socio-economic status and household dysfunction in childhood and school-to-work trajectories: the mediating role of adolescent mental health problems

Associations between household dysfunction in childhood and school-to-work trajectories throughout young adulthood were examined along with the mediating role of adolescent mental health problems. Data from 1134 participants in the Dutch prospective cohort TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) with 18-year follow-up were used. Factors of household dysfunction were assessed at age 11; (1) parental socio-economic status (SES), (2) parental mental health, and (3) parental divorce. Mental health was assessed at age 16. School-to-work trajectories from ages 20 to 28 were identified using sequence and hierarchical clustering analysis. Structural equation modelling was used to examine direct effects of household dysfunction on school-to-work trajectories, and the mediating role of mental health. Young adults with low parental SES backgrounds were more likely to follow trajectories of Neither in Education, Employment, nor Training or early work (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.24–6.54 and aOR 5.15, 95% CI 3.13–8.49, respectively) compared to a study to work trajectory. Young adults whose parents divorced in childhood were less likely to follow an early work trajectory, compared to a study to work trajectory (aOR 0.63, 95% CI 0.40–0.92). Parental mental health problems were not associated with school-to-work trajectories. Adolescent mental health did not mediate the associations between household dysfunction and school-to-work trajectories. Our study showed the importance of childhood parental SES, relative to other parental factors, for young adults’ school-to-work trajectories. More research in larger samples is needed to unravel the underlying mechanisms to better inform policy and practice.