How socioeconomic circumstances, school achievement and reserve capacity in adolescence predict adult education level: a three-generation study in Finland

Family socioeconomic circumstances directly influence adult educationlevel. Adolescent psychosocial resources and health-promoting behaviourcollectively termed as ‘reserve capacity’ and school achievement maylikely mediate the effect of family socioeconomic circumstances on adulteducation level. We tested these relationships using 1985–1995 survey dataon 12–18-year-old Finns (N = 41,822) linked with three-generation registrydata of Statistics Finland until 2009. Results of the multinomial logisticregression models, adjusted for sex and age at end of follow-up, showedthat socioeconomic circumstances of parents and grandparents predictedadult education level. School achievement and reserve capacity dimensionsof perceived health, health-promoting behaviour and social support inadolescence also positively predicted adult education. Moreover, thesetended to decrease the effect of family socioeconomic circumstances oneducational level. Our findings suggest that formulating interventions whichbuild reserve capacity and improve school performance, especially amongadolescents from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, could likelyreduce educational inequalities.