Maternal social status, early health capital, and young adults’ economic attainment: Early life course investigation

Abstract

Using survey data collected from 12,278 adolescents and their mothers over 13 years in a nationally representative National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study examined how maternal social status influenced young adults’ economic attainment over the early life course. We found that weight at birth and height at adolescence as early health capital mediated the influence of maternal social status on young adults’ economic attainment. Also, adolescents’ educational attainment and psychological vulnerabilities mediated the relation between early health capital and young adults’ economic attainment. These findings highlight the importance of early intervention to prevent the persistent influence of adverse maternal social status on youths’ developmental outcomes.