Teenage Conduct Problems: A Lifetime of Disadvantage in the Labour Market?

Abstract

Using data from British cohorts born in 1958 and 1970, we used quantile regression to investigate the impact of ‘mild’ and ‘severe’ teenage conduct problems on months spent in paid employment or paid employment, education, and training (EET) between ages 17 and 42. Those with conduct problems spent significantly less time in employment or EET by age 42. The penalty grows in one’s 20s and tends to persist thereafter. Among men, the participation gap was greatest among those with ‘severe’ teenage conduct problems and among those in the lower half of the participation distribution. There was no participation penalty arising from teenage conduct problems among the older generation of men in the top quartile of the participation distribution. Among women, conduct problems were associated with less time in employment and EET across the whole distribution of the participation distribution, and these penalties were greatest for women in the younger 1970 cohort.