Educational attainment and labour market perspectives in the offspring of parentswith psychiatric illness: evidence base for preventive strategies

Education is one of the strongest predictors of future employment stability and economic success. Gaining insights into factors that impede children's academic functioning over the life course (from primary school through to university) and their labour market perspectives is crucial for planning and targeting interventions toward especially vulnerable offspring populations.

Parental psychiatric disorders, which are, themselves, associated with socioeconomic drift, are among the core factors that negatively influence children's socioeconomic achievements since offspring of affected patients experience a double burden of genetic and environmental adversity. To identify particularly vulnerable groups of children in need of early support to minimize the risk of subsequent socioeconomic adversities, and to define the most sensitive periods in life for such support, we will conduct population-based cohort studies by leveraging the unique nationwide Swedish registers.

We aim to: (1) quantify the impact of parental psychiatric disorders in dual-affected families (both parents affected by mental disorders) and single-affected families (only one parent affected) on their offspring educational and labour market-related outcomes; and (2) assess the role of the specific parental environments (sociodemographic, socioeconomic, life events), measured at different periods of offspring life, that can mediate such impact. The project will build evidence base for preventive strategies.