title: Childhood self-control and unemployment throughout the life span: evidence from two British cohort studies.
abstract: The capacity for self-control may underlie successful labor-force entry and job retention, particularly in times of economic uncertainty. Analyzing unemployment data from two nationally representative British cohorts (N = 16,780), we found that low self-control in childhood was associated with the emergence and persistence of unemployment across four decades. On average, a 1-SD increase in self-control was associated with a reduction in the probability of unemployment of 1.4 percentage points after adjustment for intelligence, social class, and gender. From labor-market entry to middle age, individuals with low self-control experienced 1.6 times as many months of unemployment as those with high self-control. Analysis of monthly unemployment data before and during the 1980s recession showed that individuals with low self-control experienced the greatest increases in unemployment during the recession. Our results underscore the critical role of self-control in shaping life-span trajectories of occupational success and in affecting how macroeconomic conditions affect unemployment levels in the population.
authors: Behavioural Science Centre, University of Stirling UCD Geary Institute, University College Dublin michael.daly@stir.ac.uk.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Daly
authors: Behavioural Science Centre, University of Stirling UCD Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
authors: Liam
authors: L
authors: Delaney
authors: Behavioural Science Centre, University of Stirling.
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Egan
authors: Department of Psychology, Florida State University King Abdulaziz University.
authors: Roy F
authors: RF
authors: Baumeister
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000067290:Behavior Rating Scale; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002657:Child Development; D015331:Cohort Studies; D057172:Economic Recession; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D000068356:Self-Control / Q000523:psychology*; D012923:Social Class; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology*; D006113:United Kingdom; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: economic recession; human capital; open data; open materials; personality; self-control; unemployment