Inattention in boys from low-income backgrounds predicts welfare receipt: a 30-year prospective study

F. Vergunst, R. E. Tremblay, D. Nagin, Y. Zheng, Cedric Galera (), J. Park, E. Beasley, Yann Algan, F. Vitaro and Sylvana M. Cote
Additional contact information
F. Vergunst: UQAM - Université du Québec à Montréal = University of Québec in Montréal
R. E. Tremblay: UQAM - Université du Québec à Montréal = University of Québec in Montréal, UCD - University College Dublin [Dublin]
D. Nagin: CMU - Carnegie Mellon University [Pittsburgh]
Y. Zheng: University of Alberta
Cedric Galera: BPH - Bordeaux population health - UB - Université de Bordeaux - Institut de Santé Publique, d'Épidémiologie et de Développement (ISPED) - INSERM - Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
J. Park: Statistics Canada - Statistics Canada
E. Beasley: CEPREMAP - Centre pour la recherche économique et ses applications - ECO ENS-PSL - Département d'économie de l'ENS-PSL - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres
F. Vitaro: UQAM - Université du Québec à Montréal = University of Québec in Montréal
Sylvana M. Cote: CHU Sainte Justine [Montréal]

SciencePo Working papers Main from HAL

Abstract: Background Childhood disruptive behaviors are highly prevalent and associated with adverse long-term social and economic outcomes. Trajectories of welfare receipt in early adulthood and the association of childhood behaviors with high welfare receipt trajectories have not been examined. Methods Boys (n = 1000) from low socioeconomic backgrounds were assessed by kindergarten teachers for inattention, hyperactivity, aggression, opposition, and prosociality, and prospectively followed up for 30 years. We used group-base trajectory modeling to estimate trajectories of welfare receipt from age 19–36 years using government tax return records, then examined the association between teacher-rated behaviors and trajectory group membership using mixed effects multinomial regression models. Results Three trajectories of welfare receipt were identified: low (70.8%), declining (19.9%), and chronic (9.3%). The mean annual personal employment earnings (US$) for the three groups at age 35/36 years was $36 500 (s.d. = $24 000), $15 600 (s.d. = $16 275), and $1700 (s.d. = $4800), respectively. Relative to the low welfare receipt group, a unit increase in inattention (mean = 2.64; s.d. = 2.32, range = 0–8) at age 6 was associated with an increased risk of being in the chronic group (relative risk ratio; RRR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.03–1.31) and in the declining group (RRR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.03–1.23), after adjustment for child IQ and family adversity, and independent of other behaviors. Family adversity was more strongly associated with trajectories of welfare receipt than any behavior. Conclusions Boys from disadvantaged backgrounds exhibiting high inattention in kindergarten are at elevated risk of chronic welfare receipt during adulthood. Screening and support for inattentive behaviors beginning in kindergarten could have long-term social and economic benefits for individuals and society.

Keywords: ADHD; Aggression; Conduct disorder; Externalizing; Hyperactivity; Inattention; Non-cognitive; Opposition; Prosociality; Tax return (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-03147221v1
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Published in Psychological Medicine, 2020, 50 (12), pp.2001 - 2009. ⟨10.1017/S0033291719002058⟩

Downloads: (external link)
https://hal.science/hal-03147221v1/document (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Inattention in boys from low-income backgrounds predicts welfare receipt: a 30-year prospective study (2020)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:spmain:hal-03147221

DOI: 10.1017/S0033291719002058

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in SciencePo Working papers Main from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Contact - Sciences Po Departement of Economics ().