Thesis Format
Integrated Article
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Sociology
Supervisor
Willson, Andrea
Abstract
Sociologists have long established the transmission of social inequality across generations, and more recently, have extended this focus to health continuity. Health continuity through the transmission of health behaviours from parent to child suggests that children adopt similar health behaviours of their parents. Health behaviours are every day actions undertaken by individuals and are often described as proximal mechanisms nested between distal social structures and individual health outcomes. Individuals are embedded within social structures that either promote health-protective behaviours (e.g., healthy diet, physical activity) or increase the likelihood of adverse health outcomes through risky health behaviours (e.g., smoking, problem drinking). The parent-child relationship is a fundamental social context that profoundly affects health behaviour development. While the intergenerational transmission of health behaviours is acknowledged, comprehensive research on intergenerational dynamics – such as parenting practices, ambivalent parent-child relationship quality, and parental health - affecting adolescent health behaviours over the life course remains limited. Additionally, socioeconomic resources play a crucial role. Higher socioeconomic status (SES) may compound positive aspects of the parent-child relationship or be a protective factor buffering against negative aspects, while lower SES individuals may face compounding health behaviour disadvantages over time.
Drawing from the life course perspective, this dissertation uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to reveal underlying intergenerational mechanisms driving health continuity by examining how parent-child dynamics and socioeconomic factors influence adolescent health behaviour pathways into and throughout adulthood. Applying a life course approach to examining health behaviours broadens the conventional understanding of health behaviour engagement beyond intraindividual processes, emphasizing the importance of considering intergenerational factors, as well as the timing of transitions in contextualizing health behaviour pathways.
This dissertation measures health behaviours in two ways: first, by employing latent class analysis to identify how parenting practices predict patterns of health behaviours (health lifestyles) in adolescence and young adulthood. Second, subsequent analyses use time-varying health behaviour indices and growth curve modeling to explore intergenerational ambivalence and parental health pathways to adolescent health behaviour trajectories into mid-adulthood. Each analysis considers the role of SES in these relationships. Findings indicate that various aspects of the parent-child relationship, such as parenting practices, ambivalent relationship quality, and parental health, contribute to health behaviour disparities during adolescence and throughout adulthood. The role of higher SES is shown to compound positive aspects of the parent-child relationship, such as better parenting practices and having healthier parents, as well as protecting against the negative effects of ambivalent relationship. Overall, this dissertation highlights underlying mechanisms that help explain health continuity through parent-child dynamics and SES, which produce diverging health behaviour pathways that influence health.
Summary for Lay Audience
This research explores the processes that explain how health is passed from parent to child. The relationship between parents and their adolescents is unique and complex, shaped by parenting practices, the quality of the parent-child relationship, and the parents' health. These factors can influence adolescent health behaviours in various ways, especially through the parents' socioeconomic status (SES) during early life. Both parent-child relationships and SES can have a lasting impact on health behaviours in adulthood, suggesting that the parent-child relationship plays a crucial role in the development of health behaviours, which, in turn, affect health outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Stackhouse, Matthew, "Intergenerational Dynamics and Health Behaviour Pathways from Adolescence to Adulthood" (2024). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 10311.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/10311