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VAM-Velferd, arbeidsliv og migrasjon

Reproduction of socioeconomic differences and mental health across generations (REMENTA)

Alternative title: Reproduksjon av sosiale forskjeller og psykisk helse over generasjoner (REMENTA)

Awarded: NOK 12.0 mill.

Project Number:

300668

Application Type:

Project Period:

2020 - 2025

Location:

Subject Fields:

Children of parents with low socioeconomic status do less well in school and are at risk of drop-out, low education, unemployment, and social exclusion. It is not adequately understood why social differences reproduce. There is a close relationship between socioeconomic status and mental health that signals that mental health could be a key to understand reproduction of social differences and mobility. Family members resemble each other in terms of both socioeconomic status and mental health. This similarity may be due to genetic or environmental factors shared by parents and children, or to direct parental influence. In this project, we therefore set out to investigate how the relationship between socioeconomic status and mental health appears in a new generation, and how children’s school performance is shaped both by their parental background and their own unique mental development. The fact that partners often have similar educational levels influences the distribution of risk factors among children. In this project, we use data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study combined with registry data on health, demography, and education. By the end of the project, we have published 25 scientific articles, in addition to several preprints that have not yet undergone peer review. Below, we highlight some key findings. In one publication (Kinge et al., 2021, International Journal of Epidemiology), we documented how parental income is associated with their children’s mental health. The study concluded that mental disorders are 3 to 4 times more common among children whose parents are in the lowest earning percentiles compared to those in the highest percentiles, and that the association between income and mental disorders holds across the entire income distribution. We also found that these differences could not be explained by other factors such as parental education or parental mental health. The same pattern was observed among adoptive children, indicating that genetic factors alone could not fully account for the association. We have also documented that children of parents with mental disorders achieve lower school performance. In one article (Cheesman et al., 2022, npj Science of Learning), we show that when adjusting for factors that are constant within a family, parental mental disorders still have a small but statistically significant effect on final grades in lower secondary school. Further, we investigated how children’s health is linked to their school performance (Nordmo et al., 2022, The Lancet Public Health). We examined all possible diagnosis codes in primary health care and subsequent grades in lower secondary school. Among all examined health conditions, mental health contributed by far the largest share of health-related inequalities in school performance, followed by non-specific and endocrine conditions. Among specific diagnoses, ADHD contributed the most to reduced educational attainment in the population. Another topic in the project is how assortative mating can lead to social inequality. Previous studies of assortative mating have focused primarily on the partners themselves. However, assortative mating also has consequences for the next generation. Between siblings, researchers typically expect a genetic similarity of 50 percent. Yet, because children partly inherit the same genes from both parents, we found that the similarity in education-related genes was as high as 68 percent. In other words, there is greater genetic similarity within families than expected and greater differences between families (Torvik et al., 2022, Nature Communications). We have also compared close relatives with more distant relatives, who are connected through historical partner choices, allowing us to observe how these patterns have evolved. The results indicate increased variation in genetic variants associated with education over time (Sunde et al., 2024, Nature Communications). Additionally, we found strong partner selection across multiple traits (Torvik et al., 2024, Nature Communications). We have also participated in the public debate on social inequality through lectures, interviews, podcasts, and opinion pieces.

Prosjektbeskrivelsen nevner seks målgrupper: akademia, myndigheter, helsepersonell, velferdstjenester, allmennheten og deltakere i MoBa. Prosjektet har hatt følgende virkninger: 1. Akademia. Prosjektet har resultert i en rekke vitenskapelige publikasjoner i høyt rangerte tidsskrifter. Artiklene er allerede mye sitert og viser hvordan helse og skolegang hos barn henger sammen med sosial bakgrunn, samt mekanismene bak disse assosiasjonene. For å unngå metodiske feilkilder har vi videreutviklet metoder for å studere partnerlikhet (assortative mating), noe som kan brukes for å forstå intergenerasjonelle sammenhenger også innen andre forskningstema. Internasjonalt samarbeid, blant annet med partnere i USA, har styrket resultatene og bidratt til å gjøre forskningen mer internasjonalt relevant. 2. Myndigheter. Prosjektet har gitt kunnskap som kan informere beslutningstakere om sosiale ulikheter i psykisk helse og skoleprestasjoner. Våre funn er presentert for helse- og utdanningsmyndigheter, og sitert i offentlige utredninger og rapporter. Dermed har vi bidratt til et kunnskapsgrunnlag for politikkutvikling med sikte på å redusere sosiale ulikheter. 3. Helsepersonell og 4. velferdstjenester. Gjennom analyser av helsetilstander som bidrar til ulikheter i skoleprestasjoner, særlig ADHD og andre psykiske lidelser, har vi styrket kunnskapsgrunnlaget for helse- og velferdssektoren. Dette kan hjelpe fagfolk og tjenester med å identifisere risikogrupper og iverksette mer målrettede tiltak. Resultatene er presentert på konferanser for klinikere, slik at praksisfeltet kan dra nytte av forskningen. 5. Allmennheten. Gjennom medieoppslag, populærvitenskapelige artikler, deltakelse i debatter, radio, podkaster og offentlige arrangementer har vi nådd et bredt publikum. Dette har økt bevisstheten om sosiale ulikheter i psykisk helse og i skoleprestasjoner. Gjennom et åpent avslutningsseminar nådde vi også brukere i ulike etater. Slik har vi bidratt til en mer informert offentlig debatt og økt oppmerksomhet rundt behovet for forebygging og utjevning av sosiale forskjeller. 6. Deltakere i MoBa-kohorten. Deltakerne i MoBa får årlige nyhetsbrev med resultater, og vi har presentert funnene på MoBas 25-årsjubileum. Dette synliggjør den samfunnsnyttige verdien av å delta i store befolkningsstudier og skaper dialog mellom forskere og deltakere. Langsiktige effekter Det er usikkert hvilke langsiktige effekter prosjektet vil få, men økt kunnskap og bevissthet om sosial ulikhet i psykisk helse kan legge grunnlag for mer målrettet politikk, bedre prioriterte helsetjenester og større oppmerksomhet i befolkningen. Slik kan prosjektet på sikt bidra til å bryte kjeden av sosial reproduksjon.

Children of parents with low socioeconomic status (SES) do less well in school and are at risk of drop-out, low education, unemployment, and social exclusion. Low SES is strongly related to mental disorders, and both low SES and mental disorders run in families. The close relationship between SES and mental health signals that mental health could be a key to understand reproduction of social differences and mobility. We study school performance, an early indicator of later SES, as it develops during childhood and adolescence in relation to mental health. The intergenerational associations can be due to genetic or environmental factors shared by parents and children, or direct effects between parents and offspring. We will estimate effects of different parental indicators of SES and mental health on child mental health and school performance, and then examine mediators of the intergenerational transmission. Since partners are more similar than random strangers, children may experience risk factors in 'double doses'. We will therefore assess the consequences of assortative mating on social differences. We utilize survey and genomic data from The Norwegian Mother and Child Study that includes ~268 000 individuals in mother-father-child-trios and register data on health, demography and school performance. In addition, we will use register data on the entire population of Norway. Triangulation of quantitative (e.g. extended children-of-twins-and-sibling models) and molecular genetic methods (e.g. intergenerational Mendelian randomization) allow us to draw firm conclusions. Multivariate polygenic and quantitative genetic methods are suited to study how the genetic risk unfolds, and can identify mediators of the genetic effects that are amenable to interventions. This is a new approach to social inequalities. Knowledge on the origins of social inequality and causes of mental disorders will be important to mental health and social sciences, and may impact social policies.

Publications from Cristin

Funding scheme:

VAM-Velferd, arbeidsliv og migrasjon