Dataset Information

Born into adversity: psychological distress in two birth cohorts of second-generation Irish children growing up in Britain.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Worldwide, the Irish diaspora experience health inequalities persisting across generations. The present study sought to establish the prevalence of psychological morbidity in the children of migrant parents from Ireland, and reasons for differences.

Methods

Data from two British birth cohorts were used for analysis. Each surveyed 17 000 babies born in one week in 1958 and 1970 and followed up through childhood. Validated scales assessed psychological health.

Results

Relative to the rest of the cohort, second-generation Irish children grew up in material hardship and showed greater psychological problems at ages 7, 11 (1958 cohort) and 16 (both cohorts). Adjusting for material adversity and maternal psychological distress markedly reduced differences. Relative to non-Irish parents, Irish-born parents were more likely to report chronic health problems (odds ratio [OR]: 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-1.54), and Irish-born mothers were more likely to be psychologically distressed (OR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.13-1.84, when child was 10). Effect sizes diminished once material adversity was taken into account.

Conclusions

Second-generation Irish children experienced high levels of psychological morbidity, but this was accounted for through adverse material circumstances in childhood and psychological distress in parents. Public health initiatives focusing on settlement experiences may reduce health inequalities in migrant children.

SUBMITTER: Das-Munshi J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3935491 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Born into adversity: psychological distress in two birth cohorts of second-generation Irish children growing up in Britain.

Das-Munshi J J Clark C C Dewey M E ME Leavey G G Stansfeld S A SA Prince M J MJ

Journal of public health (Oxford, England) 20130417 1

<h4>Background</h4>Worldwide, the Irish diaspora experience health inequalities persisting across generations. The present study sought to establish the prevalence of psychological morbidity in the children of migrant parents from Ireland, and reasons for differences.<h4>Methods</h4>Data from two British birth cohorts were used for analysis. Each surveyed 17 000 babies born in one week in 1958 and 1970 and followed up through childhood. Validated scales assessed psychological health.<h4>Results< ...[more]

PMID: 23596193

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Project description:BackgroundSubjective social status (SSS, perception of social position relative to a frame of reference) has been associated with physical, mental and socio-emotional wellbeing. However, these associations may be susceptible to unmeasured confounding by life course objective socio-economic position (SEP; such as wealth, education and employment) and life satisfaction.PurposeTo estimate the association of position on ladders of perceived community respect and perceived economic status with weight, distress and wellbeing, independent of objective SEP in cohorts from three low and middle-income countries.MethodsWe used data from birth cohorts in Guatemala (n = 1258), Philippines (n = 1323) and South Africa (n = 1393). We estimated the association of perceived community respect and perceived economic status with body mass index (kg/m2), the World Health Organization's Self-Reported Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) for psychological distress, and Lyubomirsky's Subjective Happiness Scale. We estimated these associations using robust linear regression models adjusting for indicators of life course objective SEP, early life characteristics, adult covariates, and life satisfaction.ResultsParticipants in South Africa (age 27-28y) rated themselves higher on average for both the respect (7 vs 5 in Guatemala and 6 in Philippines) and economic (5 vs 3 in Guatemala and 4 in Philippines) ladder measures. Position on neither community respect nor economic ladders were associated with BMI or psychological distress. Higher position on community respect (Guatemala: 0.03, 95%CI: 0.01, 0.04; Philippines: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.05; South Africa: 0.07, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.09) and economic (Guatemala: 0.02, 95%CI: 0, 0.04; Philippines: 0.04, 95%CI: 0.02, 0.07; South Africa: 0.07, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.10) ladders were associated with greater happiness.ConclusionsSubjective social status showed small but consistent associations with happiness in birth cohorts independent of life-course SEP.

Dataset Information

Born into adversity: psychological distress in two birth cohorts of second-generation Irish children growing up in Britain.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Born into adversity: psychological distress in two birth cohorts of second-generation Irish children growing up in Britain.

Similar Datasets

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