Childhood Adversities and Educational Attainment in Young Adulthood: The Role of Mental Health Problems in Adolescence.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of this study were to examine whether the association between childhood adversities and educational attainment in young adulthood can be explained by mental health problems in adolescence and whether associations and pathways differ for boys and girls.


METHODS
Data were used of 2,230 participants from the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey, a Dutch prospective cohort study with a 9-year follow-up. Childhood adversities were measured at age 11 years, mental health problems (i.e., externalizing, internalizing and attention problems with Youth Self-Report) at age 16 years, and educational attainment at age 19 years. Structural equation modeling was performed to analyze the data, overall and stratified by gender.


RESULTS
Only among boys, childhood adversities were associated with low educational attainment in young adulthood. Externalizing problems in adolescence explained 5% of the association between childhood adversities and educational attainment. Furthermore, for both boys and girls, externalizing problems in adolescence had a direct effect on educational attainment in young adulthood.


CONCLUSIONS
Among boys, childhood adversities are associated with poorer educational outcomes of young adults. A part of this association runs via adolescent externalizing problems. The results suggest that boys, compared with girls, are less capable to cope with childhood adversities. Monitoring of exposed boys to childhood adversities is of utmost importance.
Department of Health Sciences, Community and Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: k.veldman@umcg.nl.
Karin
K
Veldman
Department of Health Sciences, Community and Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Ute
U
Bültmann
Department of Health Sciences, Community and Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Josue
J
Almansa
Department of Health Sciences, Community and Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Sijmen A
SA
Reijneveld
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D058445:Bullying; D004243:Divorce / Q000523:psychology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D009426:Netherlands; D063129:Parental Death / Q000523:psychology*; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
Childhood adversities; Educational attainment; Life-course perspective; Mental health problems