Intelligence, social class of origin, childhood behavior disturbance and education as predictors of status attainment in midlife in men: The Aberdeen Children of the 1950s study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Intelligence, social class of origin, childhood behavior disturbance and education as predictors of status attainment in midlife in men

T2 - The Aberdeen Children of the 1950s study

AU - von Stumm, Sophie

AU - Macintyre, Sally

AU - Batty, David G.

AU - Clark, Heather

AU - Deary, Ian J.

PY - 2010/1/1

Y1 - 2010/1/1

N2 - In a birth cohort of 6281 men from Aberdeen, Scotland, social class of origin, childhood intelligence, childhood behavior disturbance and education were examined as predictors of status attainment in midlife (46 to 51 years). Social class of origin, intelligence and behavior disturbance were conceptualized as correlated predictors, whose effects were hypothesized to be partially mediated by educational qualifications. A structural equation model using Full Information Maximum Likelihood estimation confirmed that education had the strongest direct effect on status attainment at midlife. Furthermore, education partially mediated the effects of social class of origin and childhood intelligence, and fully mediated the effects of behavior disturbance on status attainment. Social class of origin, childhood intelligence and behavior disturbance were strongly inter-correlated. After controlling for these associations, educational and social status attainments were influenced to a considerably greater extent by childhood intelligence than by social class of origin.

AB - In a birth cohort of 6281 men from Aberdeen, Scotland, social class of origin, childhood intelligence, childhood behavior disturbance and education were examined as predictors of status attainment in midlife (46 to 51 years). Social class of origin, intelligence and behavior disturbance were conceptualized as correlated predictors, whose effects were hypothesized to be partially mediated by educational qualifications. A structural equation model using Full Information Maximum Likelihood estimation confirmed that education had the strongest direct effect on status attainment at midlife. Furthermore, education partially mediated the effects of social class of origin and childhood intelligence, and fully mediated the effects of behavior disturbance on status attainment. Social class of origin, childhood intelligence and behavior disturbance were strongly inter-correlated. After controlling for these associations, educational and social status attainments were influenced to a considerably greater extent by childhood intelligence than by social class of origin.

KW - Childhood behavior disturbance

KW - Childhood intelligence

KW - Education

KW - Social class of origin

KW - Status attainment in midlife

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=72049100123&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.intell.2009.11.004

DO - 10.1016/j.intell.2009.11.004

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:72049100123

VL - 38

SP - 202

EP - 211

JO - Intelligence

JF - Intelligence

SN - 0160-2896

IS - 1

ER -