Do socially isolated children become socially isolated adults?

Roy Lay-Yee; Timothy Matthews; Terrie Moffitt; Richie Poulton; Avshalom Caspi; Barry Milne

doi:10.1016/j.alcr.2021.100419

Do socially isolated children become socially isolated adults?

Roy Lay-Yee^*, Timothy Matthews, Terrie Moffitt, Richie Poulton, Avshalom Caspi, Barry Milne

^*Corresponding author for this work

Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Social isolation - the lack of social contacts in number and frequency – has been shown to have a negative impact on health and well-being. Using group-based trajectory analysis of longitudinal data from a New Zealand birth cohort, we created a typology of social isolation based on onset during the life course and persistence into adulthood. We then characterized each type according to risk factors related to family environment and child behavior that have been shown previously to be associated with social isolation. Based on fit statistics and distinctness of trajectories we considered the four-class model to be the most appropriate: (1) ‘never isolated’ (71.6 % of the cohort), (2) ‘adult only’ (10.1 %), (3) ‘child only’ (14.3 %), and (4) ‘persistent isolation’ (4.0 %). Family-environmental factors – i.e. having a teen-aged mother, having a single parent, frequent changes in residence, or maltreatment – tended to be associated with both child and adult onset and persistence of social isolation, whereas child-behavioral factors – i.e. self-control or internalizing symptoms – applied more to the child onset of social isolation. Sensitivity analyses using empirically defined groups – based on 15 % ‘cut-offs’ for isolation in childhood and adulthood - produced similar life-course groupings and similar associations. Our findings provide insights into the development of social isolation and demonstrate the changeability of social isolation across almost four decades of the life span. They also suggest family-based and child-based interventions could address child onset and the persistence of social isolation into adulthood.

Original language	English
Article number	100419
Journal	Advances in Life Course Research
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2021.100419
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 2021

Keywords

Adult
Child
Family
Life course
Social isolation

Access to Document

10.1016/j.alcr.2021.100419

Cite this

@article{475dc24308d54194a61e193dda8d4d08,

title = "Do socially isolated children become socially isolated adults?",

abstract = "Social isolation - the lack of social contacts in number and frequency – has been shown to have a negative impact on health and well-being. Using group-based trajectory analysis of longitudinal data from a New Zealand birth cohort, we created a typology of social isolation based on onset during the life course and persistence into adulthood. We then characterized each type according to risk factors related to family environment and child behavior that have been shown previously to be associated with social isolation. Based on fit statistics and distinctness of trajectories we considered the four-class model to be the most appropriate: (1) {\textquoteleft}never isolated{\textquoteright} (71.6 % of the cohort), (2) {\textquoteleft}adult only{\textquoteright} (10.1 %), (3) {\textquoteleft}child only{\textquoteright} (14.3 %), and (4) {\textquoteleft}persistent isolation{\textquoteright} (4.0 %). Family-environmental factors – i.e. having a teen-aged mother, having a single parent, frequent changes in residence, or maltreatment – tended to be associated with both child and adult onset and persistence of social isolation, whereas child-behavioral factors – i.e. self-control or internalizing symptoms – applied more to the child onset of social isolation. Sensitivity analyses using empirically defined groups – based on 15 % {\textquoteleft}cut-offs{\textquoteright} for isolation in childhood and adulthood - produced similar life-course groupings and similar associations. Our findings provide insights into the development of social isolation and demonstrate the changeability of social isolation across almost four decades of the life span. They also suggest family-based and child-based interventions could address child onset and the persistence of social isolation into adulthood.",

keywords = "Adult, Child, Family, Life course, Social isolation",

author = "Roy Lay-Yee and Timothy Matthews and Terrie Moffitt and Richie Poulton and Avshalom Caspi and Barry Milne",

note = "Funding Information: The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit is supported by the New Zealand Health Research Council and New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) . Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

year = "2021",

doi = "10.1016/j.alcr.2021.100419",

language = "English",

journal = "Advances in Life Course Research",