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Grandparental socioeconomic disadvantages and grandchild psychiatric disorders: The mediating role of parental socioeconomic and psychosocial factors
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Public Health Sciences, Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS).ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0286-4198
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Public Health Sciences, Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS).ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2580-7903
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Public Health Sciences, Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS). Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7576-9410
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Public Health Sciences, Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS). Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, The Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8707-180x
2025 (English)In: Scientific Reports, E-ISSN 2045-2322, no 15, article id 20120Article in journal (Other academic) Published
Abstract [en]

The aim of this study is to explore the association between grandparental socioeconomic disadvantages and grandchild psychiatric disorders, the role of parental socioeconomic and psychosocial factors in this association, as well as potential gender differences. We utilized a cohort study design using data from the Stockholm Birth Cohort Multigenerational Study, including 11,299 individuals born in 1953 (parental generation), their 22,598 parents (grandparental generation), and 24,707 adult children (grandchild generation). Grandparental and parental socioeconomic disadvantages, respectively, included low income, non-employment, and overcrowding. Parental psychosocial disadvantages included single parenthood, psychiatric disorders, and criminality. Psychiatric disorders in the grandchildren were reflected by hospitalizations due to mental and behavioral disorders from age 18 to 30 (1986–2019). Analyses were performed within the Structural Equation Modeling framework. We found an association between grandparental socioeconomic disadvantages and grandchild psychiatric disorders (standardized total effect 0.155, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.099–0.211), which was mediated through parental psychosocial disadvantages (standardized mediating effect 0.101, 95% CI 0.073–0.130). The mediation was more pronounced via psychosocial disadvantages among mothers than fathers. These findings indicate that psychosocial disadvantages among parents, especially mothers, reflect an important mediating mechanism, and addressing such disadvantages may help mitigate social inequalities in mental health across generations.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. no 15, article id 20120
Keywords [en]
Socioeconomic factors, Psychosocial factors, Mental health, Multigenerational transmission, Mediation
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Research subject
Public Health Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-242166DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-04282-zOAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-242166DiVA, id: diva2:1952186
Available from: 2025-04-14 Created: 2025-04-14 Last updated: 2025-06-24Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Misfortune (dis)continues across generations: Multigenerational studies linking socioeconomic and psychosocial disadvantages to psychiatric disorders
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Misfortune (dis)continues across generations: Multigenerational studies linking socioeconomic and psychosocial disadvantages to psychiatric disorders
2025 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Mental health problems contribute substantially to the disease burden in Sweden and worldwide. Such problems are not evenly distributed in the population and are, to a large extent, socially determined. The overall aim of the current thesis is to investigate the multigenerational associations and mechanisms between socioeconomic and psychosocial disadvantages and mental health problems, as well as potential gender differences. Drawing on data from the Stockholm Birth Cohort Multigenerational Study that encompasses local and national survey- and register-based data across three generations, and through employing structural equation modeling techniques, a series of four empirical studies was conducted. Study I demonstrated multigenerational transmission of low income through the patriline (from paternal grandfathers to fathers) to grandchildren, and multigenerational transmission of psychiatric disorders through both the patriline and matriline (from maternal grandmothers to mothers) to grandsons. The patriline-grandson transmission of psychiatric disorders partially operated via low income of the fathers. Additionally, grandparents’ psychiatric disorders influenced their children’s and grandchildren’s income. Study II provided further insights into multigenerational patterns of disadvantages by showing that combinations of grandparental socioeconomic and parental psychosocial disadvantages elevated the risks of grandchild psychiatric disorders. Importantly, improved socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances across previous generations predicted lower probabilities of psychiatric disorders among grandchildren. Study III established the mediating role of psychosocial disadvantages in the parental generation, particularly among mothers, in the association between grandparental socioeconomic disadvantages and grandchild psychiatric disorders. Study IV delved deeper into the mechanisms underlying this multigenerational mediation pattern by identifying parental childhood experiences (i.e., family relationship quality, peer relationships, and educational performance) as important determinants of parental adulthood psychosocial disadvantages and grandchild psychiatric disorders. Parental childhood peer relationships and educational performance mattered more among fathers, whereas family relationship quality played a more important role among mothers. These empirical studies extend our understanding of the multigenerational transmission patterns of disadvantages, and how multiple factors in the parental generation act as mechanisms linking grandparental socioeconomic disadvantages to grandchild mental health problems. Accordingly, public health efforts to improve mental health of future generations could benefit from a multigenerational perspective.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, 2025. p. 72
Series
Stockholm Studies in Public Health Sciences, ISSN 2003-0061 ; 14
Keywords
Mental health problems, Psychiatric disorders, Socioeconomic disadvantages, Psychosocial disadvantages, Resilience, Vulnerability, Cumulative inequality, Multigenerational associations, Multigenerational mechanisms, Life course perspective, Longitudinal studies, Sweden
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Research subject
Public Health Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:su:diva-242170 (URN)978-91-8107-250-1 (ISBN)978-91-8107-251-8 (ISBN)
Public defence
2025-06-05, Auditorium 4, House 2, Floor 2, Albanovägen 18, Stockholm, 13:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2025-05-13 Created: 2025-04-14 Last updated: 2025-05-08Bibliographically approved

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Li, BaojingLiu, CanBrännström Almquist, YlvaBerg, Lisa

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