Disability and the Transition to Adulthood: Cohort Evidence on Independent Living and Union Formation in Finland

Elena Neri , Nuffield College, University of Oxford
Pekka Martikainen, University of Helsinki

This study examines the transition to adulthood among Finnish youth with and without disabilities, focusing on two key transitions: leaving the parental home and forming a first cohabiting union. We examine whether the timing and likelihood of these transitions differ by disability status and across disability types; and whether these differences have changed in Finland across two birth cohorts born 15 years apart, in 1975 and 1990. Using population-level Finnish register data, we implement discrete-time event-history logit models to estimate transition events that occur between ages 16 and 34, while controlling for time-varying socio-economic and demographic characteristics. We identify individuals with childhood disabilities by combining diagnostic information and disability allowance records collected in health and welfare registers. Disabilities are classified into five categories – intellectual, physical, sensory, learning, and pervasive developmental – and three severity levels – mild, moderate, severe. Overall, we expect individuals with disabilities to experience delayed transitions and an overall lower likelihood of transitions to independent living and partnership formation, particularly for those with intellectual or pervasive developmental disabilities, and across disability types, for those with more severe limitations. Cohort comparisons are expected to reveal earlier, and more likely, transitions among the younger cohort, especially for individuals with milder or non-intellectual disabilities, reflecting greater inclusion, social support, and changing cultural attitudes toward disability. This study offers the first population-level, cohort-based evidence on disability and transitions to adulthood, exploring how pathways to independence and partnership for young adults with disabilities have changed over time.

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 Presented in Session 106. Flash Session Becoming an Adult in the 21st Century