Association of public care in childhood with social, criminal, cognitive, and health outcomes in middle-age: six decades of follow-up of members of the 1958 Birth Cohort Study

Objectives To examine if there is an association between childhood public care and adverse life outcomes in middle-age. Methods We used data from the United Kingdom 1958 birth cohort study of 18,558 babies. Parents of study members were surveyed at age 7, 11, and 16 years when experience of public care of their offspring was ascertained. An array of outcomes were self-reported by cohort members at age 42 years, and a cognitive test battery was administered at age 50. Results 420 (3.8%) of 11,160 individuals in the analytical sample experienced childhood public care prior to age 16. Net of confounding factors, public care was linked to half of the twenty-eight non-mutually exclusive endpoints captured in middle-age with the most consistent effects apparent for psychosocial characteristics: 6/7 sociodemographic, 2/2 anti-social, 3/3 psychological, 1/3 health behaviours, 2/8 somatic health, and 0/5 cognitive. Conclusions The present study suggests that known associations between childhood care and outcomes in adolescence and early adulthood are also seen in middle-age. Policy implications Practitioners in health and social services should perhaps more closely monitor care graduates.