Childhood trauma and its influence on occupational prestige in young adulthood

Introduction: Childhood trauma is associated with numerous long-term mental health consequences. However, there is a lack of research examining its effect on future occupational prestige, the shared belief about the “worthiness” of a profession. Methods: Data were analyzed from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, a nationally representative prospective survey. Our sample is comprised of youth aged 12-16 at baseline in 1997 and interviewed annually through 2009 (ages 24-28; N=7,772). Cumulative self-reported childhood trauma was summed across five areas: 1) violent crime; 2) bullying; 3) gun violence; 4) perceived school safety; and 5) threatened violence. After each participant turned 18, his/her yearly 2002 Census job code was assigned a yearly occupational prestige score based on the 1989 General Social Survey rankings. Covariate-adjusted marginal linear regression models were used to estimate the effects of trauma and covariates on prestige for different race/ethnicity (white, Black, Hispanic) and gender subgroups. Results: Results indicated that white females (mean=1.17±standard error =0.19; p<0.00) and white males (mean=0.35±0.18; p=0.04) lost the most prestige points in future occupations for every childhood traumatic occurrence. More traumatic occurrences resulted in a slower growth in occupational prestige over time for white females, with each additional victimization occurrence associated with an annual loss in prestige of 0.29 points (p<0.05). Discussion: Results indicate that white males and females were the most severely affected groups with respect to their future occupation. Psychological and other social interventions specifically designed to mitigate the consequences of childhood trauma may positively impact future socioeconomic status.