IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0248226.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The relationship of socioeconomic status in childhood and adulthood with compassion: A study with a prospective 32-year follow-up

Author

Listed:
  • Aino I Saarinen
  • Dacher Keltner
  • Henrik Dobewall
  • Terho Lehtimäki
  • Liisa Keltikangas-Järvinen
  • Mirka Hintsanen

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate (i) whether childhood family SES predicts offspring’s compassion between ages 20–50 years and (ii) whether adulthood SES predicts compassion or vice versa. We used the prospective population-based Young Finns data (N = 637–2300). Childhood family SES was evaluated in 1980; participants’ adulthood SES in 2001 and 2011; and compassion for others in 1997, 2001, and 2012. Compassion for others was evaluated with the Compassion scale of the Temperament and Character Inventory. The results showed that high childhood family SES (a composite score of educational level, occupational status, unemployment status, and level of income) predicted offspring’s higher compassion between ages 30–40 years but not in early adulthood or middle age. These results were obtained independently of a variety of potential confounders (disruptive behavior in childhood; parental mental disorder; frequency of parental alcohol use and alcohol intoxication). Moreover, high compassion for others in adulthood (a composite score of educational level, occupational status, and unemployment status) predicted higher adulthood SES later in their life (after a 10-year follow-up), but not vice versa. In conclusion, favorable socioeconomic environment in childhood appears to have a positive effect on offspring’s compassion in their middle adulthood. This effect may attenuate by middle age. High compassion for others seems to promote the achievement of higher SES in adulthood.

Suggested Citation

  • Aino I Saarinen & Dacher Keltner & Henrik Dobewall & Terho Lehtimäki & Liisa Keltikangas-Järvinen & Mirka Hintsanen, 2021. "The relationship of socioeconomic status in childhood and adulthood with compassion: A study with a prospective 32-year follow-up," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0248226
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248226
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0248226
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0248226&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0248226?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hooria Jazaieri & Geshe Jinpa & Kelly McGonigal & Erika Rosenberg & Joel Finkelstein & Emiliana Simon-Thomas & Margaret Cullen & James Doty & James Gross & Philippe Goldin, 2013. "Enhancing Compassion: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Compassion Cultivation Training Program," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 1113-1126, August.
    2. Reiss, Franziska, 2013. "Socioeconomic inequalities and mental health problems in children and adolescents: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 24-31.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nielsen, Line & Koushede, Vibeke & Vinther-Larsen, Mathilde & Bendtsen, Pernille & Ersbøll, Annette Kjær & Due, Pernille & Holstein, Bjørn E., 2015. "Does school social capital modify socioeconomic inequality in mental health? A multi-level analysis in Danish schools," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 35-43.
    2. Charlotte Meilstrup & Lau Caspar Thygesen & Line Nielsen & Vibeke Koushede & Donna Cross & Bjørn Evald Holstein, 2016. "Does self-efficacy mediate the association between socioeconomic background and emotional symptoms among schoolchildren?," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 61(4), pages 505-512, May.
    3. Karimli, Leyla & Ssewamala, Fred M. & Neilands, Torsten B. & Wells, Christine R. & Bermudez, Laura Gauer, 2019. "Poverty, economic strengthening, and mental health among AIDS orphaned children in Uganda: Mediation model in a randomized clinical trial," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 17-24.
    4. Altafim, Elisa Rachel Pisani & McCoy, Dana Charles & Linhares, Maria Beatriz Martins, 2018. "Relations between parenting practices, socioeconomic status, and child behavior in Brazil," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 93-102.
    5. Schreier, Alayna & Stenersen, Madeline R. & Strambler, Michael J. & Marshall, Tim & Bracey, Jeana & Kaufman, Joy S., 2023. "Needs of caregivers of youth enrolled in a statewide system of care: A latent class analysis," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    6. Yekaterina Chzhen & Irene Moor & William Pickett & Emilia Toczydlowska & Gonneke Stevens & UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2016. "Family Affluence and Inequality in Adolescent Health and Life Satisfaction: Evidence from the HBSC study 2002-2014," Papers inwopa836, Innocenti Working Papers.
    7. Ericson, Torgeir & Kjønstad, Bjørn Gunaketu & Barstad, Anders, 2014. "Mindfulness and sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 73-79.
    8. Klocke, Andreas & Stadtmüller, Sven, 2024. "Two generations later: New evidence on health equalisation in youth," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 342(C).
    9. T. Gregory & E. Dal Grande & M. Brushe & D. Engelhardt & S. Luddy & M. Guhn & A. Gadermann & K.A. Schonert-Reichl & S. Brinkman, 2021. "Associations between School Readiness and Student Wellbeing: A Six-Year Follow Up Study," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(1), pages 369-390, February.
    10. Woong Lee & Ran Im, 2023. "An Empirical Assessment of the Interactionist Model: The Relationship Between Household Income and Depression Among Retirees in Korea," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(2), pages 729-751, April.
    11. Jennifer M. Arbiol & Angelie V. Cabajes & Rey Jan S. Pusta, 2021. "Ok or Not Ok: Mental Health Conditions of the Students amidst COVID-19," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 21(1), pages 544-553, July.
    12. Yu-Chun Lin & Yu-Hung Chang & Huang-Ting Yan, 2020. "Is trade a blessing or a curse? A panel data analysis of the determinants of depressive disorders," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(7), pages 1113-1121, September.
    13. Angélica López & Robbert Sanderman & Ans Smink & Ying Zhang & Eric van Sonderen & Adelita Ranchor & Maya J Schroevers, 2015. "A Reconsideration of the Self-Compassion Scale’s Total Score: Self-Compassion versus Self-Criticism," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(7), pages 1-12, July.
    14. Jackson, Margot I., 2015. "Early childhood WIC participation, cognitive development and academic achievement," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 145-153.
    15. Liu, Yuerong & Merritt, Darcey H., 2021. "Family routines and child problem behaviors in fragile families: The role of social demographic and contextual factors," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    16. Callum Rutherford & Helen Sharp & Jonathan Hill & Andrew Pickles & David Taylor-Robinson, 2019. "How does perinatal maternal mental health explain early social inequalities in child behavioural and emotional problems? Findings from the Wirral Child Health and Development Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-14, May.
    17. Kim, Yeonwoo & Padilla, Yolanda C. & Zhang, Anao & Oh, Sehun, 2018. "Young children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors after mothers exit welfare: Comparisons with children of non-welfare mothers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 316-323.
    18. Md Irteja Islam & Gail M Ormsby & Enamul Kabir & Rasheda Khanam, 2021. "Estimating income-related and area-based inequalities in mental health among nationally representative adolescents in Australia: The concentration index approach," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-14, September.
    19. Lopes, Francisca Vargas & Riumallo Herl, Carlos J. & Mackenbach, Johan P. & Van Ourti, Tom, 2022. "Patient cost-sharing, mental health care and inequalities: A population-based natural experiment at the transition to adulthood," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    20. Thompson, Laura K. & Sugg, Margaret M. & Runkle, Jennifer R., 2018. "Adolescents in crisis: A geographic exploration of help-seeking behavior using data from Crisis Text Line," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 215(C), pages 69-79.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0248226. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.