Antisocial and human capital pathways to socioeconomic exclusion: A 42-year prospective study.

Abstract

Nordic welfare states have been very successful at reducing poverty and inequality among their citizens. However, the presence of a strong social safety net in these countries has not solved the problem of socioeconomic exclusion, manifesting in such outcomes as chronic unemployment and welfare dependency. In an effort to understand this phenomenon, the current study builds on the assumption that psychological risk factors emerge as important determinants of socioeconomic disadvantage in an environment where ascribed characteristics have less impact on educational and occupational attainment. Using data from Finland, this research examined a life course model linking childhood differences in cognitive skills and antisocial propensity to midlife socioeconomic exclusion. The Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (n = 369) follows individuals from age 8 (b. 1959) through age 50. Evidence from a structural equation model found support for key theoretical predictions: (a) human capital and antisocial pathways contributed independently to socioeconomic exclusion; (b) the effect of childhood psychological factors on midlife socioeconomic exclusion was mediated by adolescent and adult life course outcomes; and (c) the human capital and antisocial domains intersected such that antisocial children struggled in school as adolescents, which contributed to their persistence in crime and deviance in adulthood—a behavioral pattern that directly increased the risk of socioeconomic exclusion in midlife. In short, the findings suggest that early emerging differences in cognitive ability and antisociality set in motion a process of negative life outcomes with enduring consequences for socioeconomic well-being. The results are discussed from the perspective of sociohistorical context and public policy.

Behaviors in kindergarten are associated with trajectories of long-term welfare receipt: A 30-year population-based study

“…People who are excluded from the labor market face large personal and economic costs (Brand, 2015). They are more likely to experience psychological distress, social marginalisation, financial hardship, higher welfare support needs, and earlier mortality (Paul, & Moser, 2009; Roelfs, Shor, Davidson, & Schwartz, 2011; Savolainen, Mason, Lyyra, Pulkkinen, & Kokko, 2017; Schmitz, 2011). Although the causal antecedents of economic exclusion and long-term welfare receipt are complex, involving both individual characteristics and structural systemic factors, it has been repeatedly observed that children with behavioral problems are more likely to experience economic difficulties in adulthood, including unemployment, lower earnings, and less wealth (Fergusson, Boden, & Horwood, 2013; Healey, Knapp, & Farrington, 2004; Knapp, King, Healey, & Thomas, 2011; Rivenbark et al, 2018).…”

“…The individual characteristics that contribute to youth unemployment and subsequent welfare receipt have been extensively debated both inside and outside academia and the role of both proximal and distal factors are generally acknowledged. Proximal factors describe immediate precipitating events, such as accidents or illness, that lead to employment loss and subsequent welfare needs, while distal factors concern temporally distant events or personal characteristics that may stretch far back into childhood (Savolainen et al, 2017). According to one influential view, youth unemployment is the consequence of failed accumulation of capital – human, social, and personal capital – across the early life course (Caspi, Wright, Moffitt, & Silva, 1998; Converse, Piccone, & Tocci, 2014).…”

Associations of Harsh Physical Punishment and Child Maltreatment in Childhood With Antisocial Behaviors in Adulthood

“…18 Adults who demonstrate antisocial behaviors may experience many difficulties in developing and maintaining positive relationships, have trouble sustaining successful employment, and have problems with the law, among other challenges. 19 , 20 , 21 Antisocial behaviors are generally found to be more prevalent among men compared with women, again making the examination of sex differences an important consideration. 22 , 23 , 24 Harsh physical punishment and child maltreatment are likely associated with antisocial behaviors among men and women in the general population in the United States—the extent, however, is unknown.…”

“…Antisocial features of antisocial personality disorder as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) ( DSM-5 ) include failure to conform to the law, lack of ethical behavior, absence of concern for others while being deceitful, and irresponsible, manipulative, and risk-taking behaviors . Adults who demonstrate antisocial behaviors may experience many difficulties in developing and maintaining positive relationships, have trouble sustaining successful employment, and have problems with the law, among other challenges . Antisocial behaviors are generally found to be more prevalent among men compared with women, again making the examination of sex differences an important consideration .…”