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

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of public health Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 95 - 101
• Main Authors: Sauvola, Anu, Mäkikyrö, Taru, Jokelainen, Jari, Joukamaa, Matti, Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta, Isohanni, Matti
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA Taylor & Francis 01.06.2000; Sage Publications; Sage
• 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; Europe; Finland; cohort study; follow-up study; family background; physical illness; early adulthood; Human; Cohort study; One parent family; Young adult; Risk factor; Epidemiology; Morbidity; Public health
• ISSN: 1403-4948; 1651-1905
• DOI: 10.1177/140349480002800204

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.