The Concentration of Adversity: A Life-Course Analysis of Adverse Life Events in Adulthood

Maël Lecoursonnais , Linköping University
Simon Rabaté, French Institute for Demographic Studies

Adverse life events—such as job loss, divorce, or spousal death—are disruptive experiences that can cause stress, reduce social support, and limit economic resources. Studies have thoroughly documented the short and long-term impacts of individual adverse events on, among others, health, well-being, and socioeconomic status. However, adverse life events may not occur in isolation. Sparse evidence suggests that adverse life events tend to correlate across the life course, leading to a cumulative burden that can exacerbate negative outcomes. The extent to which these events cluster over the life-course remains poorly understood. Some events may trigger others—job loss may lead to financial hardship and divorce. Others may be independent but still co-occur. In this study, we investigate the association and accumulation of adverse life events across the life-course. Using Dutch register data, we track several birth cohorts over 26 years and identify the occurrence and timing of eleven adverse life events. Building on inequality indices, we construct a novel concentration index to capture how events cluster within individuals' life-courses. Furthermore, using optimal matching and clustering methods, we identify groups of similar trajectories and relate them to socio-demographic characteristics. Our preliminary analysis on divorce and job loss indicates that adverse life events tend to cluster, with individuals experiencing one event being more likely to encounter others. This concentration of adverse events appears to be more pronounced among women and individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Ongoing work aims to extend this analysis to other adverse events and explore their implications for policy interventions.

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 Presented in Session 97. Economic and Health Inequalities after Union Dissolution