Is There Intergenerational Continuity in Early Experiences? Findings from the Harvard Study of Adult Development

As research continues to elucidate the impact of early life experiences on later life outcomes, there has been increased interest in understanding why some individuals have optimal early life experiences, whereas others do not. Prior work has considered the correlates and impact of early life experiences within a person’s lifetime, yet we know little about whether early life experiences are sustained across generations. We use multi-generational data from 1,312 offspring and their fathers (N = 518 families), who were followed for 70+ years, to understand the extent to which there is intergenerational continuity in multiple domains of early life experience (childhood social class, childhood home atmosphere, parent-child relationship quality, childhood health); whether intergenerational continuity is greater for some domains of early life experience than others; and if there are person-level (offspring sex and birth order) and family-level factors (family size, father education level and education mobility) that strengthen (or weaken) intergenerational continuity. Multilevel models showed that, at the aggregate level, fathers who had better early life experiences overall tended to have children with better early life experiences. This intergenerational continuity was particularly robust for childhood social class, and non-significant for the other domains of early life experiences. Moreover, the intergenerational continuity of early life experiences was moderated by father education level and education mobility, such that low education level conferred risks, and upward education mobility conferred benefits, for offspring’s early life experiences. We discuss the broader theoretical and practical significance of the findings for future interventions and social policy.