Poverty and mental illness in the children of migrants – a longitudinal study of inequalities and key mechanisms

Research problem and specific questionsPoverty is an established risk factor for mental illness in children, but it is yet unclear 1) when in the early life-course such effects emerge, 2) what drives these effects, and 3) whether poverty disproportionately affects the mental health of children of migrants compared to children of non-migrants.

Using unique data sources and cutting-edge methodologies, this project addresses these gaps by examining the relationship between childhood poverty and patterns of mental health in the early life-course, and describing inequalities that might exist between children of migrants and non-migrants.

It also seeks to understand how mental illness results in response to poverty, and whether shifts out of chronic poverty can reduce mental health inequalities.

Focusing on the early life-course (5-25-years), the aims are:To examine associations between childhood poverty and mental health in the early life course, and describe differences between children of migrants and non-migrantsTo assess how psychosocial stress and parental mental health might explain the relationship between poverty and children’s mental health, and how their relative importance differs between children of migrants and non-migrantsTo assess the impact of shifts out of persistent poverty on children’s mental healthData and method.

Using a collection of longitudinal individual-level register data of the Swedish population with intergenerational links, we will analyse mental health trajectories from 2005-2025.

In addition, we use a dataset containing biomarkers linked to register data to examine the role biomarkers of psychosocial stress (inflammation) in the association between poverty and future depression.

The methods include longitudinal latent class analysis, mediation analysis with time-varying confounding (using g-formula), and a target trial framework of causal inference.

Heterogeneities by gender, parental country of birth, and reasons for migration will be examined.Societal relevance and utilisationThe project is important for the purposes of health equity and also has societal relevance given its potential to inform integration and labour market policy.Plan for project realisationOver four years, an interdisciplinary team of researchers will deliver publications that will make substantive contributions to the research field, collaboratively written by group, organising the work according expertise, and planned work contributions.