Single-parent family background and physical illness in adulthood: a follow-up study of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort

The association between single-parent family background and physical illness in early adulthood was studied in a sample of an unselected, general population: the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort. Between the ages of 16 and 28 years, women of single-parent family background were more commonly treat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scandinavian journal of public health 2000-06, Vol.28 (2), p.95-101
Main Authors: Sauvola, Anu, Mäkikyrö, Taru, Jokelainen, Jari, Joukamaa, Matti, Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta, Isohanni, Matti
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Analysis. Health state
Biological and medical sciences
Cohort analysis
Cohort Studies
Disease - classification
Employment - statistics & numerical data
Epidemiology
Factors
Family background
Female
Finland
Finland - epidemiology
Followup studies
General aspects
Health Status
Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Income - statistics & numerical data
Male
Medical sciences
Mental Disorders - epidemiology
Morbidity
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Sickness
Single Parent - statistics & numerical data
Single parent families
Social Class
Young adults
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Summary:The association between single-parent family background and physical illness in early adulthood was studied in a sample of an unselected, general population: the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort. Between the ages of 16 and 28 years, women of single-parent family background were more commonly treated (61% versus 57%) for any physical condition in hospital wards compared with women of two-parent family background. Spontaneous abortions (odds ratio; OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.02.0), complications of pregnancy (OR = 1.1, 95% CI 1.0-1.3), and intracranial injuries (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.0-3.8) were more common among women with single-parent family background. They also had a clearly higher risk for induced abortions (OR =1.6, 95% CI 1.4-1.9), and a higher incidence of deliveries than did other women. The risk of hospital-treated physical illness did not differ between men of single-parent and two-parent family background. Poisonings and injuries were, however, more common reasons for hospital admission among men with single-parent family background than among other men. In conclusion, our main finding was that, among women, an association between overall hospital-treated physical illness and single-parent family background does exist. However, offspring of single-parent families are mostly in as good physical health as others.
ISSN:1403-4948
1651-1905
DOI:10.1177/140349480002800204