Multidimensional Trajectories of Family Adversity in Childhood and Outcomes in Adolescence and Young Adulthood: Population-Based Evidence from Rural South Africa

Brian Houle , Australian National University
Collin Payne, Australian National University
Shao-Tzu Yu, Princeton University
Chodziwadziwa Kabudula, University of the Witwatersrand

Increasing evidence suggests that adverse events in childhood can have lasting impacts along the life course. We examine the accumulation and interrelation of different dimensions of family adversity in childhood in rural South Africa. We used population-based, longitudinal data from a household census from the Agincourt Health and socio-Demographic Surveillance site in rural South Africa, including children born from 1992 to 2009. We distinguished between three dimensions of family adversity: household vulnerability, loss within the family, and family dynamics. We used a group-based multi-trajectory model to define groups of children aged 0-12 years. We identified four distinct trajectories of family adversity in childhood. Distal outcome models showed that, compared to low adversity children, mortality risks were particularly elevated for children with multiple adversities within all dimensions and throughout childhood. Subsequent models examined outcomes in adolescence and young adulthood. Our results highlight how the accumulation and interrelation of these dimensions of family adversity are important in understanding child development and later wellbeing.

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 Presented in Session 29. Flash Session Child and Adolescent Health and Development