Pathways into Marginalization. A 28-Year Longitudinal Study from Adolescence to Middle Adulthood

One of today's greatest societal challenges is reducing social marginalization. There are many ways in which people can experience marginalization, including but not limited to experiences with mental health problems, problems in school and at work, and feelings of being socially isolated. People who experience problems in one area of life often face disadvantages in other areas at the same time. We also know that children who grow up in disadvantaged families are at greater risk of experiencing marginalization in adulthood. In this research project, we investigate the causes and consequences of marginalization. We investigate how people become marginalized and why they experience problems in more than one area at a time. We also examine why marginalization is "inherited" from one generation to the next. Finally, we investigate whether marginalization experiences affect political attitudes and people's trust in institutions in Norway. We analyze data from the longitudinal Young in Norway Study which follows several thousand participants over 29 years, from adolescence into middle adulthood, using questionnaires, data from nationwide registries, and genetic data. The project is conducted at the Department of Psychology at the University of Oslo and is linked to the PROMENTA Research Center. Publications from the project so far focus on how a variety of psychosocial factors in adolescence and young adulthood are related to marginalization. Such psychosocial factors include loneliness, mental disorders, conduct problems, smoking, and sexual behavior. More specifically, by using longitudinal data, we show that loneliness in adolescence and adulthood is consistently related to lower income and markers of disability in midlife. In another study, we show that adolescents with mental disorders have more difficulties than other adolescents to understand mental states of themselves and others, which may lead to future social problems. Concerning adolescent conduct problems, even moderate levels of delinquent behavior in adolescence was related to negative adult outcomes, such as lower income and less education. We also show that young people who smoke have a higher risk of future mental health problems, even when accounting for a number of confounding factors. In yet another domain, we show that several socio-demographic factors are related to adolescent sexual behavior. Such social differences in sexual behavior may have long-term impact on later social behavior. The results from the project so far indicate a complex pattern of psychosocial influence on future marginalization experiences. To address the changing situation for young people during the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined how closed schools and social distancing measures during the pandemic are related to marginalizing experiences among adolescents and how experiences during the pandemic have influenced adolescents' attitudes towards the authorities. Results have been disseminated through articles in national and international scientific journals. Moreover, we have published results concerning marginalization experiences during the COVID-pandemic in a report that is directed towards the Norwegian public. We have published popular science articles in Norwegian newspapers. Moreover, project results have been disseminated to the public through several newspaper and tv interviews.

A relative small segment of the population accounts for a large share of adult social ills and lifetime problems. Adults in this segment typically show problems not just in one specific domain, but in multiple arenas. However, the standard approach is to focus on one social problems at a time, while complex pathways to marginalization in multiple arenas are largely unexplored. The project addresses this issue by providing novel knowledge about pathways into social problems in multiple domains, such as education and work; family, fertility, and social networks; and well-being and mental health. The project will examine (a) how complex marginalization processes in several domains unfold over a formative period in life, from adolescence into middle adulthood; (b) how such processes explain reproduction of marginalization from one generation to the next; and (c) how marginalization in multiple domains influence socio-political attitudes and values. The project utilizes data from a large-scale longitudinal study, spanning from adolescence over 28 years and which combines survey, register, and molecular genetic data (N=2600). We use newly developed causal modeling techniques, combining approaches from psychometrics, econometrics, and genetics to examine complex dynamic mechanisms through which risk factors are influencing social problems and marginalization. By involving highly skilled national and international researchers in the fields of psychology, sociology, demography, econometrics, and genetics, this project will be of truly interdisciplinary nature. A user perspective is established by collaborating with the Norwegian part of the WHO Healthy Cities Network and a reference group. By using a unique combination of different high quality data sources, this project will provide novel knowledge about people who are disadvantaged in not just one, but several arenas in life. We will as such provide important knowledge about people who are at greatest need for support.