Fatherhood history and later life health and mortality in England and Wales: A record linkage study

Abstract

Fatherhood is an important domain of the lives of most men but, in contrast to extensive research into associations between marriage and health, possible effects of paternity on later life health and mortality have attracted relatively little attention. Of those studies that have been undertaken, many relate to historical or less developed country populations with high levels of fertility and much less is known about associations in contemporary developed societies. In this paper we use data from a large nationally representative record linkage study of men in England and Wales to analyse associations between aspects of paternity history and subsequent mortality and health in a sample of 20,260 mature men in long-term first marriages. At entry to the study in 1981 sample members had a mean age of 63 and a mean duration of marriage of 38 years. Mortality was observed for a twenty three year period and indicators of health status measured ten (in 1991) and twenty years (in 2001) after entry into the analysis. Paternity characteristics investigated included number of children born and, among men who were fathers, early or late paternity; experience of a particularly short or long interval between marriage and first birth; and experience of one or more short intervals between births. Socioeconomic characteristics included in the analysis were based on measures relating to educational attainment, occupational social class and housing tenure, in the latter two cases observed at more than one point of time. Contrary to our hypotheses, results showed no later life disadvantages of childlessness in this sample of men who had experienced long term first marriages. However, aspects of paternity history were associated with later life health and mortality. Most notably men who had had a child before the age of 23 had higher mortality and higher odds of poor health in 1991 and 2001 than other fathers, while men who had a child at ages 40 or over had lower mortality and lower risks of long term illness in 1991. Men who had had four or more children also appeared to have worse later life health in some of the health indicators used in this study. Limitations of the data include absence of information on contacts with children or on health related behaviours hypothesised to be associated with fatherhood. Results nevertheless suggest long-term consequences of particular paternity pathways.

Fertility history, health, and health changes in later life: A panel study of British women and men born 1923–49

“…We find that men who have four or more children have higher risks of a health limitation and poorer self-rated health than the reference category of men with two children. This is consistent with results from other studies, rather (Grundy and Holt 2000;Grundy and Tomassini 2006). Among women, high parity is also associated with a health limitation and poorer selfrated health, and we find some evidence of a faster rate of acquisition of a health limitation for women with four or more children.…”

“…Early childbearing has been found to be a risk factor for poorer health and functioning in later life in a number of studies of women (Kington et al 1997;Mirowsky 2005;Henretta 2007;Henretta et al 2008;Spence 2008) and in rather fewer studies of or including men (Grundy and Holt 2000;Grundy and Tomassini 2006). The possible effect of late childbearing on later-life health is more controversial.…”

Pathways from fertility history to later life health: Results from analyses of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

“…Later health disadvantages of early fatherhood have also been reported (Grundy and Tomassini 2006;Grundy and Kravdal 2008;Pudrovska and Carr 2009). Results on possible effects of having children at relatively old ages are mixed.…”

Childbearing History, Later Life Health, and Mortality in Germany

“…Thus, our study also adds to the so far very limited literature addressing the association between older men's reproductive history and well-being (cf. Grundy and Kravdal 2008;Grundy and Tomassini 2006).…”