Early unemployment can contribute to adult health problems:: results from a longitudinal study of school leavers

Study objective: To investigate the long term effects of early unemployment (a total of more than half a year of unemployment between the ages of 16 and 21) on health behaviour and psychological and somatic symptoms. Design: A 14 year follow up of a cohort of school leavers was conducted from 1981 to 1995. Information was collected by questionnaires. Setting: An industrial town in northern Sweden. Participants: The original cohort was defined as all pupils in a middle sized municipality in the last year of compulsory school at age 16 (n = 1083). The participants were followed up between the ages of 16 and 30. The analysis included 96% of the original sample, 547 men and 497 women Main results: After controlling for initial health behaviour and symptoms as well as for working class background and late unemployment, early unemployment among young men and women showed a significant explanatory effect on smoking, psychological symptoms and-among men only-somatic symptoms after a follow up of 14 years. No correlation was found between early unemployment and late excess alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Early unemployment can contribute to adult health problems. Thus, youth unemployment constitutes a significant public health problem, which to a certain extent remains in adult age.