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The Intergenerational Impact of Terror: Did the 9/11 Tragedy Impact the Initial Human Capital of the Next Generation?

ABSTRACT: Given the unexpected nature of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a specific cohort of children were exogenously exposed to increased maternal psychological stress in utero. Rich administrative data and the precise timing of the event allow this study to uniquely provide insights into the health effects of exposure to maternal psychological stress across gestation. Results suggest that children exposed in utero were born significantly smaller and earlier than previous cohorts. The timing of the effect provides evidence that intrauterine growth is specifically restricted by first trimester exposure to stress; reductions in gestational age and increases in the likelihood of being born at low (<2,500 grams) or very low (<1,500 grams) birth weight are induced by increased maternal psychological stress mid-pregnancy. This study also documents a positively selected post-attack fertility response, which would bias an evaluation that includes cohorts conceived after September 11, 2001, in the control group.

SUBMITTER: Brown R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7442658 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The Intergenerational Impact of Terror: Did the 9/11 Tragedy Impact the Initial Human Capital of the Next Generation?

Brown Ryan R

Demography 20200801 4

Given the unexpected nature of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a specific cohort of children were exogenously exposed to increased maternal psychological stress in utero. Rich administrative data and the precise timing of the event allow this study to uniquely provide insights into the health effects of exposure to maternal psychological stress across gestation. Results suggest that children exposed in utero were born significantly smaller and earlier than previous cohorts. The timi ...[more]

PMID: 32514847

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Project description:ObjectiveThe authors sought to determine whether the Fast Track mental health intervention delivered to individuals in childhood decreased mental health problems and the need for health services among the children of these individuals.MethodsThe authors examined whether Fast Track assignment in one generation of children (generation 2; G2) from grades 1 through 10 reduced parent-reported mental health problems and health services use in these children's children (generation 3; G3) 18 years later relative to a control group. The Fast Track intervention blended parent behavior-management training, child social-cognitive skills tutoring, home visits, and classroom social-ecology changes across grades 1-10 to ameliorate emerging conduct problems among the G2 children. For this study, 1,057 G3 children of Fast Track participants (N=581 intervention group, N=476 control group) were evaluated.ResultsG3 children of G2 parents who were randomized to the Fast Track intervention group used fewer general inpatient services and fewer inpatient or outpatient mental health services compared with G3 children of G2 parents randomized to the control group. Some of these effects were mediated: randomization to Fast Track predicted fewer internalizing problems and less use of corporal punishment among G2 adults at age 25, which subsequently predicted less general inpatient service use and outpatient mental health service use among the G3 children by the time the G2 parents were 34 years old. There were no significant differences between G3 children from these two groups on the use of other health services or on mental health measures.ConclusionsFast Track was associated with lower use of general inpatient services and inpatient and outpatient mental health services intergenerationally, but effects on parent-reported mental health of the children were not apparent across generations. Investing in interventions for the mental health of children could reduce service use burdens across generations.

Project description:IntroductionMaternal nutrition promotes maternal and child health. However, most interventions to address undernutrition are only implemented once pregnancy is known, and cannot address broader risk factors preceding conception. Poverty and socio-economic status are considered systemic risk factors, but both economic growth and cash transfers have had limited success improving undernutrition. Another generic risk factor is low human capital, referring to inadequate skills, knowledge and autonomy, and represented by traits such as low educational attainment and women's early marriage. Few studies have evaluated whether maternal human and socio-economic capital at conception are independently associated with maternal and offspring outcomes.MethodsUsing data on 651 mother-child dyads from the prospective Pune Maternal Nutrition Study in rural India, composite markers were generated of "maternal human capital" using maternal marriage age and maternal and husband's education, and 'socio-economic capital' using household wealth and caste. Linear and logistic regression models investigated associations of maternal low/mid human capital, relative to high capital, with her own nutrition and offspring size at birth, postnatal growth, education, age at marriage and reproduction, and cardiometabolic risk at 18 years. Models controlled for socio-economic capital, maternal age and parity.ResultsIndependent of socio-economic capital, and relative to high maternal human capital, low human capital was associated with shorter maternal stature, lower adiposity and folate deficiency but higher vitamin B12 status. In offspring, low maternal human capital was reflected in shorter gestation, smaller birth head girth, being breastfed for longer, poor postnatal growth, less schooling, lower fat mass and insulin secretion at 18 years. Daughters married and had children at an early age.DiscussionSeparating maternal human and socio-economic capital is important for identifying the aspects which are most relevant for future interventions. Low maternal human capital, independent of socio-economic capital, was a systemic risk factor contributing to an intergenerational cycle of disadvantage, perpetuated through undernutrition, low education and daughters' early marriage and reproduction. Future interventions should target maternal and child human capital. Increasing education and delaying girls' marriage may lead to sustained intergenerational improvements across Sustainable Development Goals 1 to 5, relating to poverty, hunger, health, education and gender equality.

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The Intergenerational Impact of Terror: Did the 9/11 Tragedy Impact the Initial Human Capital of the Next Generation?

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The Intergenerational Impact of Terror: Did the 9/11 Tragedy Impact the Initial Human Capital of the Next Generation?

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