This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Upmark, M. Articles by Bigert, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Upmark, M. Articles by Bigert, C. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Child Behavior Disorders Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Conditions during childhood and adolescence as explanations of social class differences in disability pension among young men

Division of Social Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm, marianne.upmark{at}smd.sll.se, Centre for Alcohol and Drug Prevention, Stockholm, Sweden

Ingvar Lundberg

Division of Occupational Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm

Jonas Sadigh

Division of Occupational Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm

Carolina Bigert

Division of Occupational Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm

Aims: This study investigates whether conditions present or established in youth and adolescence among young men contribute to the differences in the risk of an early disability pension (DP) among social classes. Methods: The study is based on data from a nationwide survey of the 49,285 Swedish males born between 1949 and 1951 who were conscripted into military service between 1969 and 1970. Data on socioeconomic groups were based on information of occupation and educational level reported in the census of 1975 held by Statistics Sweden. Potential psychosocial and behavioural risk factors were linked to records from the Swedish Social Insurance Board up until 1993. The analyses were based upon those 33,609 conscripts with information on all background variables who reported an occupation and who were not granted a DP in 1975. Results : The strongest social class difference in the distribution of risk indicators was found for low ranking on the psychometric tests and for having been in a remedial class. In the univariate analyses, the highest odds ratios were noted for unskilled manual workers. In the multivariate model, with all the background variables included, the increased risk ratios for lower socioeconomic groups decreased considerably for a DP irrespective of diagnosis, and diminished for a DP with an alcohol-related diagnosis. Conclusion: It is concluded that conditions present or established in youth and adolescence are of major importance to understand the strong social class gradient in disability pensions among young men. It is suggested that the increased risks for skilled and unskilled manual workers compared with non-manual employees might be interpreted according to the concept of unfavourable life careers.

Key Words: disability pension • life career • longitudinal study • psychometric test • psychosocial factors • social classes • young men.

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 29, No. 2, 96-103 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/14034948010290020601


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				O. N. Wiborg and M. N. Hansen Change over Time in the Intergenerational Transmission of Social Disadvantage Eur. Sociol. Rev., June 1, 2009; 25(3): 379 - 394. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. M. Gravseth, T. Bjerkedal, L. M. Irgens, O. O. Aalen, R. Selmer, and P. Kristensen Influence of physical, mental and intellectual development on disability in young Norwegian men Eur J Public Health, December 1, 2008; 18(6): 650 - 655. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Allebeck and A. Mastekaasa Chapter 5. Risk factors for sick leave - general studies Scand J Public Health, October 1, 2004; 32(63_suppl): 49 - 108. [Abstract] [PDF]

				G. Hensing and R. Wahlstrom Chapter 7. Sickness absence and psychiatric disorders Scand J Public Health, October 1, 2004; 32(63_suppl): 152 - 180. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Upmark and K.-L. Thundal An explorative, population-based study of female disability pensioners: the role of childhood conditions and alcohol abuse/dependence Scand J Public Health, July 1, 2002; 30(3): 191 - 199. [Abstract] [PDF]