Decomposing the Parental Education Gradient in Health: Lessons from a Large Sample of Adoptees

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Bjorkegren, Evelina; Lindahl, Mikael; Palme, Marten; Simeonova, Emilia
• 署名单位: Stockholm University; University of Gothenburg; Johns Hopkins University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0734-306X
• DOI: 10.1086/733050
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: socioeconomic-status; childhood; income; LIFE; inequalities; mortality; origins; IMPACT; STATES

摘要

We use data from a sample of adoptees born in Sweden to study to what extent the association between parental educational attainments and adult health of the child can be attributed to pre- or postbirth factors. We find significant and similarly sized associations between the educational attainment of both adoptive and biological parents and children's adult health outcomes. This suggests that growing up in a more educated household has long-term effects on health. However, the magnitude of these associations is roughly 50% smaller than the corresponding estimates obtained from children raised by their biological parents.