Cognitive Ability in Late Adolescence and Disability Pension in Middle Age: Follow-up of a National Cohort of Swedish Males

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2013 Oct 23

PMID 24147128

Citations 8

Authors

Alma Sorberg

Andreas Lundin

Peter Allebeck

Bo Melin

Daniel Falkstedt

Tomas Hemmingsson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Low cognitive ability in late adolescence has previously been shown to be associated with disability pension (DP) in young adulthood. However, most DP's are granted later in working life, and the mechanisms of the association are not fully understood. We aimed to investigate the association between cognitive ability in late adolescence and DP at ages 40-59, and investigate the role of individual and socioeconomic factors. Information on cognitive ability, health status, personality aspects and health behaviours at age 18-20 was obtained from the 1969-70 conscription cohort, comprising 49,321 Swedish men. Data on DP's 1991-2008 was obtained from the Longitudinal Database of Education, Income and Employment. Information on socioeconomic and work-related factors in childhood and adulthood was obtained from national sociodemographic databases. Hazard ratios for DP during follow-up were estimated by Cox proportional hazards models. We found a graded relationship between cognitive ability in late adolescence and DP in middle age. One step decrease on the nine-point stanine scale of cognitive ability was associated with a crude hazard ratio of 1.26 (95% CI 1.24-1.27). Socioeconomic and work-related circumstances in adulthood explained much of the association, but factors measured already in late adolescence also showed importance. The findings suggest an accumulation of risks over the life course. Although attenuated, the graded relationship remained after adjusting for all factors.

Citing Articles

The impact of cardiorespiratory fitness and physical workload on disability pension-a cohort study of Swedish men.

Berglund K, Almroth M, Falkstedt D, Hemmingsson T, Kjellberg K Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2023; 97(1):45-55.

PMID: 37971680 PMC: 10791704. DOI: 10.1007/s00420-023-02023-1.

Do early life factors explain the educational differences in early labour market exit? A register-based cohort study.

Carlsson E, Hemmingsson T, Landberg J, Burstrom B, Thern E BMC Public Health. 2023; 23(1):1680.

PMID: 37653490 PMC: 10472566. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16626-3.

Cognitive Ability in Midlife and Labor Market Participation Among Older Workers: Prospective Cohort Study With Register Follow-up.

Sundstrup E, Hansen A, Mortensen E, Poulsen O, Clausen T, Rugulies R Saf Health Work. 2020; 11(3):291-300.

PMID: 32995054 PMC: 7502611. DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2020.06.006.

Meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies of cognitive abilities.

Marioni R, McRae A, Bressler J, Colicino E, Hannon E, Li S Mol Psychiatry. 2018; 23(11):2133-2144.

PMID: 29311653 PMC: 6035894. DOI: 10.1038/s41380-017-0008-y.

IQ and mental health are vital predictors of work drop out and early mortality. Multi-state analyses of Norwegian male conscripts.

Lie S, Tveito T, Reme S, Eriksen H PLoS One. 2017; 12(7):e0180737.

PMID: 28683088 PMC: 5500358. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180737.

References

Lundin A, Lundberg I, Hallsten L, Ottosson J, Hemmingsson T . Unemployment and mortality--a longitudinal prospective study on selection and causation in 49321 Swedish middle-aged men. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2009; 64(1):22-8. DOI: 10.1136/jech.2008.079269. View

Hemmingsson T, Melin B, Allebeck P, Lundberg I . The association between cognitive ability measured at ages 18-20 and mortality during 30 years of follow-up--a prospective observational study among Swedish males born 1949-51. Int J Epidemiol. 2006; 35(3):665-70. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyi321. View

Warren J, Hoonakker P, Carayon P, Brand J . Job characteristics as mediators in SES-health relationships. Soc Sci Med. 2004; 59(7):1367-78. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.01.035. View

Henderson M, Richards M, Stansfeld S, Hotopf M . The association between childhood cognitive ability and adult long-term sickness absence in three British birth cohorts: a cohort study. BMJ Open. 2012; 2(2):e000777. PMC: 3323804. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000777. View

Karlsson H, Ahlborg B, Dalman C, Hemmingsson T . Association between erythrocyte sedimentation rate and IQ in Swedish males aged 18-20. Brain Behav Immun. 2010; 24(6):868-73. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2010.02.009. View

Sidorchuk A, Hemmingsson T, Romelsjo A, Allebeck P . Alcohol use in adolescence and risk of disability pension: a 39 year follow-up of a population-based conscription survey. PLoS One. 2012; 7(8):e42083. PMC: 3411655. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042083. View

Larsson D, Hemmingsson T, Allebeck P, Lundberg I . Self-rated health and mortality among young men: what is the relation and how may it be explained?. Scand J Public Health. 2003; 30(4):259-66. DOI: 10.1080/14034940210133997. View

Khandaker G, Barnett J, White I, Jones P . A quantitative meta-analysis of population-based studies of premorbid intelligence and schizophrenia. Schizophr Res. 2011; 132(2-3):220-7. PMC: 3485562. DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2011.06.017. View

Batty G, Shipley M, Dundas R, Macintyre S, Der G, Mortensen L . Does IQ explain socio-economic differentials in total and cardiovascular disease mortality? Comparison with the explanatory power of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors in the Vietnam Experience Study. Eur Heart J. 2009; 30(15):1903-9. PMC: 2719700. DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehp254. View

10.

Upmark M, Lundberg I, Sadigh J, Bigert C . Conditions during childhood and adolescence as explanations of social class differences in disability pension among young men. Scand J Public Health. 2001; 29(2):96-103. View

11.

Johansson E, Leijon O, Falkstedt D, Farah A, Hemmingsson T . Educational differences in disability pension among Swedish middle-aged men: role of factors in late adolescence and work characteristics in adulthood. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2011; 66(10):901-7. DOI: 10.1136/jech-2011-200317. View

12.

Fergusson D, Horwood L, Ridder E . Show me the child at seven II: Childhood intelligence and later outcomes in adolescence and young adulthood. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2005; 46(8):850-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01472.x. View

13.

Zammit S, Allebeck P, David A, Dalman C, Hemmingsson T, Lundberg I . A longitudinal study of premorbid IQ Score and risk of developing schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression, and other nonaffective psychoses. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2004; 61(4):354-60. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.61.4.354. View

14.

Stenbacka M, Leifman A, Dalal K, Jansson B . Early predictors of injury mortality among Swedish conscripts: a 35-year cohort study. Accid Anal Prev. 2010; 43(1):228-34. DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2010.08.014. View

15.

Hart C, Taylor M, Davey Smith G, Whalley L, Starr J, Hole D . Childhood IQ, social class, deprivation, and their relationships with mortality and morbidity risk in later life: prospective observational study linking the Scottish Mental Survey 1932 and the Midspan studies. Psychosom Med. 2003; 65(5):877-83. DOI: 10.1097/01.psy.0000088584.82822.86. View

16.

Hemmingsson T, v Essen J, Melin B, Allebeck P, Lundberg I . The association between cognitive ability measured at ages 18-20 and coronary heart disease in middle age among men: a prospective study using the Swedish 1969 conscription cohort. Soc Sci Med. 2007; 65(7):1410-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.05.006. View

17.

Hemmingsson T, Lundberg I . How far are socioeconomic differences in coronary heart disease hospitalization, all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality among adult Swedish males attributable to negative childhood circumstances and behaviour in adolescence?. Int J Epidemiol. 2004; 34(2):260-7. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyh314. View

18.

Karlsson N, Carstensen J, Gjesdal S, Alexanderson K . Risk factors for disability pension in a population-based cohort of men and women on long-term sick leave in Sweden. Eur J Public Health. 2008; 18(3):224-31. DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckm128. View

19.

Wallman T, Wedel H, Johansson S, Rosengren A, Eriksson H, Welin L . The prognosis for individuals on disability retirement. An 18-year mortality follow-up study of 6887 men and women sampled from the general population. BMC Public Health. 2006; 6:103. PMC: 1459134. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-6-103. View

20.

Harkonmaki K, Korkeila K, Vahtera J, Kivimaki M, Suominen S, Sillanmaki L . Childhood adversities as a predictor of disability retirement. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2007; 61(6):479-84. PMC: 2465717. DOI: 10.1136/jech.2006.052670. View