Childhood Self-Control and Unemployment Throughout the Life Span: Evidence From Two British Cohort Studies

Download
Author
Daly, M; Delaney, L; Egan, M; Baumeister, RFDate
2015-06-01Source Title
Psychological SciencePublisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INCUniversity of Melbourne Author/s
Baumeister, RoyAffiliation
Melbourne Graduate School of EducationMetadata
Show full item recordDocument Type
Journal ArticleCitations
Daly, M., Delaney, L., Egan, M. & Baumeister, R. F. (2015). Childhood Self-Control and Unemployment Throughout the Life Span: Evidence From Two British Cohort Studies. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE, 26 (6), pp.709-723. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615569001.Access Status
Open AccessAbstract
The capacity for self-control may underlie successful labor-force entry and job retention, particularly in times of economic uncertainty. Analyzing unemployment data from two nationally representative British cohorts (N = 16,780), we found that low self-control in childhood was associated with the emergence and persistence of unemployment across four decades. On average, a 1-SD increase in self-control was associated with a reduction in the probability of unemployment of 1.4 percentage points after adjustment for intelligence, social class, and gender. From labor-market entry to middle age, individuals with low self-control experienced 1.6 times as many months of unemployment as those with high self-control. Analysis of monthly unemployment data before and during the 1980s recession showed that individuals with low self-control experienced the greatest increases in unemployment during the recession. Our results underscore the critical role of self-control in shaping life-span trajectories of occupational success and in affecting how macroeconomic conditions affect unemployment levels in the population.
Export Reference in RIS Format
Endnote
- Click on "Export Reference in RIS Format" and choose "open with... Endnote".
Refworks
- Click on "Export Reference in RIS Format". Login to Refworks, go to References => Import References