Abstract
PurposeDepressive symptoms are negatively associated with labour market outcomes but whether the timing and duration of depressive symptoms or educational attainment (EA) affect NEET (Neither in Employment, Education, nor Training) is unknown. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of timing and duration of depressive symptoms in adolescence and the moderating and mediating role of EA on NEET in young adulthood.MethodsData were used from 1512 participants in the Vestliv Study, a Danish prospective cohort study. Depressive symptoms were measured at age 14, 18 and 21. EA at age 21 and NEET at age 23 were derived from national registers. Logistic regression analyses and a 4-way decomposition approach were applied.ResultsAmong boys, depressive symptoms at ages 14 and 21 increased the risk of NEET (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.00–2.74 and OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.37–3.53). Among girls, this regarded depressive symptoms at ages 18 and 21 (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.26–2.46 and OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.13–2.22). For the duration of depressive symptoms, among boys any depressive symptoms increased the risk of NEET. Among girls, only persistent depressive symptoms increased the risk of NEET. EA did not mediate or moderate the association between depressive symptoms and NEET.ConclusionThe timing and duration of depressive symptoms in adolescence matter for the association with NEET in young adulthood, with a double burden for those with both depressive symptoms and low EA. The results emphasize the importance of support for those who experience depressive symptoms in the school-to-work transition.
Highlights
Depressive symptoms affect several labour market outcomes, including NEET status (Neither in Education, Employment nor Training) [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14], which may be due to a negative effect of depressive symptoms on the level of energy, concentration and motivation [4]
We found that both severe depressive symptoms, at ages 18 for girls and 14 and 21 for boys, and educational attainment increased the risk of being NEET
In contrast to our findings, De Groot et al [17] and Narusyte et al [18] reported the effect of internalizing problems on having paid work, sickness absence and disability pension to be independent of the timing of these problems [17, 18], whereas we found that the effect of depressive symptoms on the risk of being NEET depended on timing but with different time points for boys and girls
Summary
Depressive symptoms affect several labour market outcomes, including NEET status (Neither in Education, Employment nor Training) [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14], which may be due to a negative effect of depressive symptoms on the level of energy, concentration and motivation [4]. A recent review of Clayborne et al showed that adolescent depressive symptoms increase the risk of unemployment, but none of the included studied measured depressive symptoms at different time points [7]. Narusyte et al found that internalising problems at different ages in childhood and adolescence were associated with sickness absence and receiving disability pension in young adulthood [18]
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