ABSTRACT

This PhD dissertation is based on three original papers with the results from studies carried out during my employment from 1998 to 2002 at the National Institute of Public Health, Copenhagen, and the dissertation is published from that institute.

The data material is based on parent-reported data from two cross-sectional studies of random samples of children aged 2-17 years and their families in five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden). The first survey was performed in 1984 (10,290 children) and the second in 1996 (10,667 children). Self-administered questionnaires with about 60 items on health and welfare among the children and their parents were used. Children in families with none of the parents employed had increased prevalence of recurrent psychosomatic symptoms, chronic illness and low well-being. The Nordic countries did not differ in the correlation between parents' labour market participation and the prevalence of the outcome measures. Social class, family type, and the parents' immigrant status did not explain the associations. The influence of parents' labour market participation on their children's well-being changed in the Nordic countries from 1984 to 1996. In 1984, children with high well-being were more prevalent in families without paid work. In 1996 in contrast, high well-being was more prevalent in families with paid work. Unemployment rates increased in the Nordic countries in this period, except for Denmark, where a varying but high unemployment rate had been seen for more than 10 years. In literature the consequences of parental unemployment on child health and well-being are considered mainly mediated through financial strain put on the family and probably depression and stress experienced by their parents. In this dissertation, financial strain associated with non-employment does not explain the increased prevalence of health problems among the children in families hit by non-employment in Denmark and Sweden. Nevertheless, the associations between family labour market participation and child health differ according to family financial resources. This dissertation also indicates that the mechanisms linking parental employment status and child health may vary between the different health measures, and child health may influence parental labour market participation. Future research should investigate the reasons for parents in general and single-parents in particular, to be without paid work.