Career success: the role of teenage career aspirations, ambition value and gender in predicting adult social status and earnings

Links between family social background, teenage career aspirations, educational performance and adult social status attainment are well documented. Using a contextual developmental framework, this article extends previous research by examining the role of gender and teenage ambition value in shaping social status attainment and earnings in adulthood. Drawing on data from an 18-year British follow up study we tested a path model linking family background factors (such as family social status and parental aspirations) and individual agency factors in adolescence (in particular, career aspirations and ambition value) to social status attainment and earnings in adulthood. The findings suggest that ambition value is linked to adult earnings. That is, young people for whom it is important to get on in their job earn more money in adulthood than their less ambitious peers. The findings also confirm that teenage career aspirations are linked to adult social status attainment, and suggest that family background factors, teenage career aspirations and ambition value interact to influence social status attainment and earnings in adulthood. Gender differences are discusse

Descriptive profile of mothers by their experience of out-of-home care in childhood: evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort Study

It is well documented that care-experience can lead to more problematic post-16 transitions and poorer adult outcomes, but less is known about what works to lessen the associations. This research addresses six of the seven key areas of concern identified in the 2013 Care Leaver Strategy – education, employment, finance, health, housing and on-going support – to help inform strategies to assist agencies working with care-leavers and families who are struggling across domains. We find that mothers who had out-of-home care experience in their childhood have poorer socio-economic and psycho-social resources available to them in adulthood, but when their age, ethnicity and qualification levels are taken in to account, any negative pregnancy, childbirth and parenting experiences are fully attenuated. However, care leavers who became parents continue to obtain less education, and experience poorer financial and housing circumstances. Of particular concern are the high levels of general and mental health problems observed across a range of measures together with low levels of life satisfaction in general. The wellbeing of one of the most disadvantaged group of women in our society clearly needs to be better addressed if we are to avoid the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage associated with care experience being passed on to their children

Living the dream? : A qualitative retrospective study exploring the role of adolescent aspirations across the life span

There is a lack of longitudinal research linking adolescent career aspirations to adult outcomes other than career and income attainment. Drawing on Nurmi's (2004) and Salmela-Aro, Aunola, and Nurmi's (2007) life-span model of motivation and using quantitative survey data at ages 16, 23, 33, 42, and 50 years, combined with retrospective interview data at age 50 (collected from 25 members of a British cohort study born in 1958), we aimed to gain a more rounded understanding of the role that adolescent career aspirations play in shaping not only adult career development but also adult identities and well-being. Twenty-two of the 25 participants fulfilled their adolescent career aspirations later in life through achieving (a) the exact career they aspired to or (b) the social status of the career they aspired to. In relation to adult personal identity and well-being, the findings suggest that what matters is not just whether a person aims high at age 16 (i.e., to be a professional or a manager) but also whether the person remembers having strong or meaningful career aspirations. Further themes, gender differences, and implications for policy and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Maternal deaths in Bloemfontein, South Africa -1986 - 1992

Objective. Determination of the maternal mortality ratio and the main causes of maternal death.Setting. Pelonomi Hospital, a tertiary care and referral hospital in Bloemfontein.Methods. Review of prospectively completed structured questionnaires on all maternal deaths from 1986 to 1992.Results. The maternal mortality ratio at our institution was 171 per 100000 live births. Haemorrhage (25%), infection (24%) and hypertensive disease (18%) were the most important causes of death. Seventy-one per cent were direct obstetric deaths and 23% indirect; in the remaining 6%, the cause was uncertain. Of all deaths, 35% were considered preventable.Conclusions. The maternal mortality ratio has decreased since our previous report for the period 1980 - 1985, and haemorrhage has replaced infection as the leading cause of death

Pathways to economic well-being among teenage mothers in Great Britain

The present study examines pathways to independence from social welfare among 738 teenage mothers, participants of the 1970 British Cohort Study, who were followed up at age 30 years. Using a longitudinal design, a pathway model is tested, examining linkages between family social background, cognitive ability, school motivation, and individual investments in education, as well as work- and family-related roles. The most important factors associated with financial independence by age 30 are continued attachment to the labor market as well as a stable relationship with a partner (not necessarily the father of the child). Pathways to financial independence, in turn, are predicted through own cognitive resources, school motivation, and family cohesion. Implications of findings for policy making are discussed.© 2010 Hogrefe Publishing

Modeling Developmental Language Difficulties From School Entry Into Adulthood: Literacy, Mental Health, and Employment Outcomes

Purpose: Understanding the long-term outcomes of developmental language difficulties is key to knowing what significance to attach to them. To date, most prognostic studies have tended to be clinical rather than population-based, which necessarily affects the interpretation. This study sought to address this issue using data from a U.K. birth cohort of 17,196 children, following them from school entry to adulthood, examining literacy, mental health, and employment at 34 years of age. The study compared groups with specific language impairment (SLI), nonspecific language impairment (N-SLI), and typically developing language (TL). Method: Secondary data analysis of the imputed 5-year and 34-year data was carried using multivariate logistic regressions. Results: The results show strong associations for demographic and biological risk for both impairment groups. The associations are consistent for the N-SLI group but rather more mixed for the SLI group. Conclusions: The data indicate that both SLI and N-SLI represent significant risk factors for all the outcomes identified. There is a strong case for the identification of these children and the development of appropriate interventions. The results are discussed in terms of the measures used and the implications for practice. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.CIHR52pub105

Children's language ability and psychosocial development: a 29-year follow-up study.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known on the psychosocial adult outcomes of children's early language skills or intervening circumstances. The aim of this study was to assess the longitudinal trajectory linking childhood receptive language skills to psychosocial outcomes in later life. METHODS: The study comprised 6941 men and women who participated in a nationally representative Birth Cohort Study. Direct assessment of language skills were made at age 5. The sample was studied again at age 34 to assess psychosocial outcomes and levels of adult mental health. Characteristics of the family environment, individual adjustment, and social adaptation in the transition to adulthood were assessed as potential moderating factors linking early language skills to adult mental health. RESULTS: In early childhood, cohort members with poor receptive language experienced more disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances than cohort members with normal language skills and showed more behavior and psychosocial adjustment problems in the transition to adulthood. At age 34, cohort members with poor early language skills reported lower levels of mental health than cohort members with normal language. After adjustment for family background and experiences of social adaptation, early language skills maintained a significant and independent impact in predicting adult mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Early receptive language skills are significantly associated with adult mental health as well as psychosocial adjustment during early childhood and in later life. The needs of children with language problems are complex and call for early and continuing provision of educational support and services.CIHR126pub175

Long-term Outcomes for Children with Early Language Problems: Beating the Odds

Using the 1970 British Cohort Study, this study examines factors promoting positive language development and subsequent successful education and employment transitions among children showing early receptive language problems (age 5). We find that 61 per cent of children with early receptive language problems develop into competent readers by age 10. Factors promoting positive language development include parental support and more importantly a good school environment, characterised by only few children receiving remedial help. Post-16 education and employment experiences indicated competent reading to be associated with a less challenging journey into adulthood. Findings are discussed in terms of their policy implications.CIHR25pub137

Children's language ability and psychosocial development: a 29-year follow-up study.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known on the psychosocial adult outcomes of children's early language skills or intervening circumstances. The aim of this study was to assess the longitudinal trajectory linking childhood receptive language skills to psychosocial outcomes in later life. METHODS: The study comprised 6941 men and women who participated in a nationally representative Birth Cohort Study. Direct assessment of language skills were made at age 5. The sample was studied again at age 34 to assess psychosocial outcomes and levels of adult mental health. Characteristics of the family environment, individual adjustment, and social adaptation in the transition to adulthood were assessed as potential moderating factors linking early language skills to adult mental health. RESULTS: In early childhood, cohort members with poor receptive language experienced more disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances than cohort members with normal language skills and showed more behavior and psychosocial adjustment problems in the transition to adulthood. At age 34, cohort members with poor early language skills reported lower levels of mental health than cohort members with normal language. After adjustment for family background and experiences of social adaptation, early language skills maintained a significant and independent impact in predicting adult mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Early receptive language skills are significantly associated with adult mental health as well as psychosocial adjustment during early childhood and in later life. The needs of children with language problems are complex and call for early and continuing provision of educational support and services.CIHR126pub175

Personal preferences of participation in fall prevention programmes: A descriptive study

Background: Participation in fall prevention programmes is associated with lower risk of injurious falls among older adults. However participation rates in fall prevention interventions are low. The limited participation in fall prevention might increase with a preference based approach. Therefore, the aims of this study are to a) determine the personal preferences of older adults regarding fall prevention and b) explore the association between personal preferences and participation. Methods: We assessed the personal preferences of older adults and the association between their preferences, chosen programme and participation level. Nine different programmes, with a focus on those best matching their personal preferences, were offered to participants. Twelve weeks after the start of the programme, participation was assessed by questionnaire. Logistic regression was performed to test the association between preferences and participation and an ANOVA was performed to assess differences between the number of preferences included in the chosen programme and participation level. Results: Of the 134 participants, 49% preferred to exercise at home versus 43% elsewhere, 46% preferred to exercise alone versus 44% in a group and 41% indicated a programme must be free of charge while 51% were willing to pay. The combination of an external location, in a group and for a fee was preferred by 27%, whereas 26% preferred at home, alone and only for free. The presence of preferences or the extent to which the programme matched earlier preferences was not associated with participation. Conclusion: Despite the fact that preferences can vary greatly among older adults, local programmes should be available for at least the two largest subgroups. This includes a programme at home, offered individually and for free. In addition, local healthcare providers should cooperate to increase the accessibility of currently available group programmes