The effect of childhood socioeconomic status on adult self-rated health by age and race.

Background: The relationship between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and adult health is well established. This article examines the less well-known areas of this research: whether the age of childhood exposure matters, if mediators differ based on age, and if these relationships vary by racialised group.

Methods: We used multi-group path analysis and data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to analyse direct and indirect relationships between a retrospective measure of childhood SES in early, middle and late childhood, and adult self-rated health for non-Hispanic Black and White individuals.

Results: Childhood SES affected adult health indirectly through each of the three mediators: education, distress and health behaviours, but only for non-Hispanic Whites. In addition, early and middle childhood SES (0-5 and 6-12 years old, respectively) impacted late childhood SES (13-16 years old), suggesting the importance of cumulative exposure. We found no evidence that childhood SES impacted any of the mediators or adult self-rated health for the non-Hispanic Black sample.

Conclusion: The findings support the assertion that timing of poverty and possibly increased exposure matter for non-Hispanic Whites, but we found no support for the impact of childhood SES on adult self-rated health for the non-Hispanic Black sample. This study shows the importance of stratifying life course analyses by race and particular periods during childhood, suggesting the need for more targeted interventions based on these factors.