Effect of living conditions in the parental home and youth paths on the social class differences in mortality among women.

AIMS

A longitudinal study was undertaken to assess the effects of parental home and youth paths on the adult social class differences in mortality among women.

METHODS

The study used population registration data on all Finnish women aged 30-34 in 1990 for whom information on their childhood characteristics and youth paths were available from the 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, and 1990 censuses. Cause of death follow-up was for the period 1991-98 (1185 deaths).

RESULTS

Adjusting for parental social class, family type, and number of siblings attenuated the effects of adult social class on cardiovascular disease mortality by 27%; for all external causes this attenuation was negligible. Educational, marital, and employment paths accounted for a substantial part (30-85%) of the social class differences in mortality for all specific causes of death.

CONCLUSIONS

Although living conditions in the parental home were associated with mediating life trajectories in youth their effect on adult social class differences in mortality was moderate. Youth paths have a pervasive influence on mortality risks and social class differences in mortality in middle adulthood.