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Childhood Adversity, College Degree, and Long Term Health: An Evident from NLSY97

Sun, August 13, 8:30 to 10:10am, Palais des congrès de Montréal, Floor: Level 5, 516C

Abstract

Childhood adversity affects individual’s long-term health. This paper examines the mechanism of childhood adversity on long-term health by focusing the role of college completion: mediator or moderator. I use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 cohort (NLSY97) to estimate that model of the probability of poor health over time applying logistic growth model. The result shows that childhood adversity affects individual’s initial health status and college completion, but does not affect the health status change over time. College completion affects both initial health status and change over time. About 20% of the effect of adversity on health is explained by college degree in the mediational model. The moderate effect of college completion reflects the protective function of educational attainment on long-term health which is stronger for individuals with childhood adversity.

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