Child ADHD and parental labour market trajectories: Evidence from Finnish and Swedish register data

Background

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children has been linked to less favourable labour market outcomes among parents, but it remains unclear when this disadvantage emerges and how it evolves from before first childbirth through childhood and adolescence. We examine how a child’s ADHD is associated with parental income, unemployment, and sickness absence trajectories from two years before childbirth to child age 15 years.

Methods

We use Finnish register data on all first-born children born 2000–2005 linked to their parents (N = 135,076). Using healthcare records and medication purchases, we identify 9,182 children diagnosed with ADHD. We match parents of children with ADHD to parents of non-diagnosed children based on age and pre-birth education, unemployment, and income. The study will be extended to Sweden, enabling comparison across institutional diagnostic regimes.

Results

Before childbirth, both parents of children with ADHD and matched controls have lower income, higher unemployment, and more sickness absence than the full cohort. After childbirth, divergence emerges between the two groups. Income gaps between parents of children with ADHD and matched controls widen after school entry. A marked unemployment gap appears around childbirth for fathers and shortly thereafter for mothers. Similar patterns are observed for sickness absence, with higher levels among parents of children with ADHD throughout the follow-up period.

Conclusions

Parents of children with ADHD experience less favourable labour market trajectories compared to matched controls. These differences emerge after childbirth and widen over time, highlighting long-term consequences.

Key messages

• Labour market disadvantages for parents of children with ADHD emerge after childbirth and grow over time, particularly after school entry.

• Parents of children with ADHD experience persistent disadvantages in income, unemployment, and sickness absence compared to matched controls.